Bio-degradable spoons lose some of their weight as quickly as within 30 days after being kept in soil

Biodegradable plastic

Bio-degradable plastic materials are able to degrade and decompose over time under natural environmental conditions. The degradation of these bio-degradable plastics is achieved by allowing micro-organisms to metabolize on their surface and decompose the plastic into smaller parts and less harmful materials.

The decomposing of bio-degradable plastic can be done by natural composting or in a landfill. Moisture and oxygen are normally required for the decomposition process to take place and these conditions are readily available in most composting facilities.

Some of the concerns over the use of bio-degradable plastics are the release of carbon dioxide during the decomposition process. The release of carbon dioxide into the environment contributes to the release of greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. However most bio-degradable plastics are made from natural plant material ? and these plants hav consume and reduce carbon dioxide gas in our atmosphere.

The hypothesis that  biodegradable spoons  lose some of  their weight after as little 4 weeks in the soil, is proven to be correct. At 30 days, it was evident that the corn starch-based spoons and the wheat-based spoons  had begun to decompose, but this was not the case for the plastic spoons.

More than 20 million tons of plastic materials are produced around the globe every year. Out of these, only a small percentage are recycled. The difficulty faced in the recycling of  plastic material is that  most plastic waste matter comes mixed together with other types organic wastes. The process of separating the plastic from organic waste is time consuming and costly. However, in the case of bio-degradable plastics, the presence of organic waste actually aids the process of decomposition! Bio-degradable plastics may be a good alternative to regular plastic, in order to prevent the pollution of our environment.

Try to repeat this science fair project, this time, evaluating different environments for decomposition, such as by immersing the plastic in lake water or vegetable oil.

You could also try repeating the science project with other types or brands of biodegradable spoons, or by introducing specific species of bacteria into the soil.