Seven Great Biodegradable Items You Should Know About

Biodegradable items are great for our environment. They break down and replenish the earth. Biodegradation is the process of biological conversion of materials into CO2, H2O and minerals. According to tests based on international standards (OECD), to be called readily biodegradable an ingredient must biodegrade 60% or more within a 28 day period. The only drawback is that most items (including all those listed here) must be disposed of properly, which means it must be composted. Backyard composters are a great way to biodegrade food scraps, paper waste, and many of the items listed below. If you live in a condo, or have no way to compost locally, many cities have a green waste bin which accept most biodegradable items. However, some items (such as diapers or contaminated items) may require a commercial composting facility. Contact your local waste management facility to inquire about their policy on green waste and composting.

biobag biodegradable trash bagDisposable biodegradable trash bags – BioBag, a disposable biodegradable trashbag. They also produce bags for all kinds of needs such as yard waste, doggie waste bags and more, all of which are biodegradable. If disposed at a commercial compost facility, these bags will biodegrade in as little as 45 days. BioBags are shelf stable up to two years before they start to break down.

Eco-Friendly biodegradable drinking straws are ingenious. Its something we use millions of each day and throw in the trash without thinking. Heat stable to 135 degrees F, these compostable straws are a must for your drinks on the go. From stir straws to jumbo smoothie straws and an array of color options. For foodservice requirements, wrapped straws are also available.


Biodegradable diapers have a huge impact on reducing the amount of waste created by petro-chemical disposable diapers. Available from several brands such as Seventh Generation, gDiapers and Nature Babycare, these green diapers are becoming an easy way to go green for your baby. gDiapers even make flushable diapers to avoid the landfill (even biodegradable diapers don’t breakdown very well in a sealed landfill). If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should check out Earth Baby, a biodegradable diaper composting service that will deliver, pick up, and compost your diapers and wipes for a low monthly fee. A great alternative to cloth diaper service, and a huge improvement over plastic disposable diapers.

Biodegradable cutlery made of Plant Starch Material (PSM). Compostable and made from non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) vegetable starch, these medium weight biodegradable utensils have a heat tolerance up to 200 degrees F and biodegrade in 90 days. There are heavyweight biodegradable fork, knife and spoon sets available as well, made from PLA Corn Plastic, these contain some additional biodegradable fillers and most closely resemble plastic utensils. PLA cutlery is BPI compost certified.

biodegradable BBs pellet gun airsoftBiodegradable Airsoft Eco BBs like those made by EcoBB and others. I remember shooting my BB gun as a kid and just littering the back yard with millions of these little BBs. I would feel better about that if i knew that after a few rains they would have started to disappear. Many of these products completely dissolve in 7-10 days leaving no trace of your pellet gun ways.

Biodegradable cleaning supplies – such as Eco-Me natural cleaning kits which you can make yourself out of household products and pre-mixed formulated products like those available from Method Home. While biodegradable doesn’t necessarily mean you can go take a bath in a mountain lake with them (most biodegradable products are still harmful to the environment until they have begun to biodegrade in soil) they are free of lasting toxins and harsh chemicals like chlorine, phosphates, phthalates, and ammonia.

Biodegradable pesticides – Perhaps the most well known and widely used biopesticide comes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium that produces insecticidal proteins, although several are made from citrus oils and other organic biodegradable compounds. EcoSmart pesticides and insecticides are made with organic plant oils which naturally repel pests. Safe even for Organic farms, these pesticides are naturally derived with no synthetic chemicals and readily biodegrade.

Find many of these items at branch.com and ecoproducts.com

Comments 9

  1. Greetings. I was wondering if you manufacture the biodegradable straws or do you buy from a manufacturer that uses the same conscious principals as you do. Are they made in the USA using corn form the USA? If you can suply me with the information i would appreciate it. I am buying for a VERY green business and need to do research on the companies before we purchase. If you don’t make the straws, can you supply the information to me.

    BTW, love your website. GO GREEN!!

    Thank you

  2. Hi Dear ,

    We are the factory producing biodegradable cutlery in China. There are many cetificates for our factory and products. Our main markets are USA, UK , Austrilia and Canada. If U are interested in , please write me : maggie@bio-sy.com

    Tel: 86 512 6863 8462
    Suzhou Suyuan Bio-produts Co.,Ltd. ( China)

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  6. Hi Dear Sir/Madam,

    We are the professional manufacturer of biodegradable cutlery: PSM and PLA cutlery. We have sold our products to USA, Canada,Australia,Italy and UK, especially USA. We have long-term and happy cooperaion with our clients.In order to expand our business. We hope to begin our business with your company.
    If you are interested , please feel free to contact me.

    Best
    Suzhou Suyuan Bio-products Co.,Ltd.
    Maggie Chen
    T : 86 512 6863 8462
    C : 86 130 9260 9803

  7. Biodegradable plastic and packaging is a modern necessity for our ever-endangered environment.
    Now PLA has been used to line the indoors of Paper Cups in place of the oil based lining additional usually used, create Plastic Cups, Plates, Carrier Bags, Food Packaging and even Nappies.
    Eco Pure is our proprietary blend of organic materials that does not modify the base resin to which it is added.

    Thanks a lot for your information

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