Words / B2

beye-ohd-i-GRAYD-uh-bl/ˌbaɪəʊdɪˈɡreɪdəbl/

Biodegradable means able to be broken down by bacteria or other living organisms and so not remain as lasting waste: biodegradable packaging; a biodegradable claim. Compostable is a close twin, often stricter; degradable is weaker and vaguer. A biodegradable claim still needs a standard and a time. Mix-up: biodegradable vs biodegradable as a green slogan with no test; biodiversity (already related). Do not credit the claim without a named standard in the source.

Meaning

Able to be broken down by bacteria or other living organisms and so not remain as lasting waste.

Examples

• “A biodegradable claim still needs a standard and a time, the chemistry paper said.”
• “Biodegradable packaging featured in the waste audit, which is the materials sense.”

Good to know

biodegradable packaging / plastic / waste; biodegrade (verb). Close: compostable / degradable. Trap: a slogan with no standard. Chemistry, geography, and citizenship. Able to break down naturally — quote the test and the time.

Near in meaning

compostable, degradable

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