biodegradable

[bahy-oh-di-grey-duh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of decaying through the action of living organisms.

   biodegradable paper; biodegradable detergent.

biodegradable

/ ˌbaɪəʊˌdɛɡrəˈdeɪʃən, ˌbaɪəʊdɪˈɡreɪdəbəl, ˌbaɪəʊˌdɛɡreɪdɪˈbɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. (of sewage constituents, packaging material, etc) capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other biological means

biodegradable

1. Capable of being decomposed by the action of biological agents, especially bacteria.

biodegradable

1. Material that, left to itself, will be decomposed by natural processes.

The use of biodegradable packaging is supposed to reduce the volume of waste in landfills.

Other Word Forms

• biodegradability noun
• nonbiodegradable adjective
• biodegradation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of biodegradable¹

First recorded in 1960–65; bio- + degrade + -able

Example Sentences

Those packages, which aren’t biodegradable, also add to the plastic in our waste streams.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Daniel Jolly is researching how fast these biodegradable wet wipes break down.

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While the law banning biodegradable municipal waste from going to landfill will still come into effect from the end of the year, the regulator will not implement the ban as long as conditions are met.

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Eilish also uses biodegradable confetti at her concerts, encourages fans to bring in their own water bottles and makes merchandise from recycled cotton.

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Because fungal materials are biodegradable and inexpensive to produce, they can help reduce electronic waste.

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