Managing garbage
A banana peel and a plastic bag. Which one rots away?
- A peel, paper, a plastic bottle, glass.
- The peel and the paper break down. They are biodegradable.
- The bottle and the glass do not break down this way. Non-biodegradable.
- Each kind goes to its own place: compost or recycling.
Put each item in its bin. Then drag the years. What is left?
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The banana peel rots away. The plastic bag does not rot easily.
New words
- Biodegradable — broken down by living things such as bacteria into simple substances.
- Non-biodegradable — not broken down this way. It may last a very long time.
The rule
Decomposers can break down biodegradable waste and return it to the soil. Non-biodegradable waste does not break down this way. Sorting the two kinds apart is the first step.
| Item | Kind |
|---|---|
| A fruit peel | Biodegradable |
| Used paper | Biodegradable |
| A plastic bottle | Non-biodegradable |
| A glass jar | Non-biodegradable |
Years later, the peel and the paper have rotted away. The bottle and the jar are still whole.
Bacteria cannot break down most plastics. Those plastics stay in the soil for a very long time.
Biodegradable waste can be composted: left to rot into rich soil. Glass, metal and much plastic can be recycled: made into new things. That keeps the waste from piling up in one dump. Mixing the two kinds makes both harder to handle later.