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Put on your technical cap and digest the definition for biodegradable from the Natural Resources Defense Council: "Waste material composed primarily of naturally-occurring constituent parts, able to be broken down and absorbed into the ecosystem. Wood, for example, is biodegradable, for example, while plastics are not." Even so, everything seems to be biodegradable these days. Imagine lawn furniture or garbage bags that can be absorbed into the ecosystem. Taking things a bit further, we even have the biodegradable bikini and... gulp, the biodegradable casket.
Despite such unexpected developments, all is not calm in the world of naturally-occurring constituent parts. First of all, just because something is biodegradable doesn’t guarantee it's acceptable for landfills. In fact, as Adria Vasil reminds us in Now Toronto Magazine, "the word 'biodegradable' seems to be about as abused as the term 'natural.'" Vasil suggests we "read labels carefully" we "look for certification symbols and details about biodegradability testing standards." Questions to ask: Has the product passed any particular tests? Under what conditions does the product degrade? And just how long does it take to return to Mother Nature's warm embrace? "Four hundred years is not a good answer," says Vasil. "Don't be duped by tricky wording."
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