Biodegradable vs Non Biodegradable Substances – Imaluop

Now we are going to discuss what are biodegradable substances, what are non biodegradable substances and biodegradable vs non biodegradable substances which is very important for better waste management to keep our environment safe.

To prevent environmental pollution we should treat biodegradable substances and non-biodegradable substances separately and to differentiate between them we have to identify which one is biodegradable and which is non-biodegradable. 

What are Biodegradable Substances: 

Biodegradable are those substances which are decomposed easily by any natural factors like rainwater, ultraviolet radiation, reaction with oxygen or activity of microorganisms present in our environment.

We often notice that some materials mix with soil, air and water after some time which may take very less time while in some cases it takes a very long time to decompose those substances.

For example when we take a residue of any vegetables after some days we will find it in rotten state but after a certain period of time we do not find it. Do what happens with those substances, actually the microorganisms present in soil and air like different soil bacteria and fungus get energy from those substances.

When the microorganisms or fungi break down those substances the complex organic compounds present in them break down into simpler organic molecules which are used for maintaining life for the microorganism and the remaining part mixes with soil so we do not find them after a period of time.

So we can say the substances which easily decompose by microorganisms and mix with soil and help to recycle the nutrients cycle in our ecosystem are known as biodegradable substances. 

Examples of Biodegradable Substances: 

Most of the organic material like residue of vegetables, excreta of animals products, outer peel of fruits and their seeds, extra cooked food, dried leaves and twigs, flowers are common examples of biodegradable substances because they decompose easily by the action of microorganisms and reaction with environmental factors.

What are Non Biodegradable Substances: 

Have you noticed polythene bags that have been present in soil for many years that do not mix with soil and are present in the form as it was from the initial state. They are known as non biodegradable substances and one best benefit of those non biodegradable substances is they can be recycled because they do not decay. 

Non biodegradable substances are not easily decomposed by any microorganisms or fungi and they do not react easily with atmospheric oxygen, water, ultraviolet radiation so they remain in the same state for a long time if we through them here and there then they can cause different types of environmental pollution.

So we have to take care about those substances and manage them in the proper way so that they do not harm our environment and we can recycle them.  

Examples of Non Biodegradable Substances: 

For example plastic, polythene bags, polystyrene, metal foils, papers are not biodegradable substances so we should separate them from biodegradable substances to prevent environmental pollution and recycle them to utilise them properly.  

Biodegradable vs Non Biodegradable Substances in Comparison Table: 

Biodegradable Substances	Non Biodegradable Substances
They are easily decomposed by different natural factors like microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, other environmental factors like ultraviolet radiation, water, atmospheric oxygen.	They persist for a very long time because they are not easily decomposed by any natural factors like different types of microbes and they do not react easily with different types of environmental factors like oxidation by atmospheric oxygen, rainwater and ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
They can be gathered and reused to form biogas or natural gas which will give us a sufficient amount of energy for our domestic use and also it will prevent environmental pollution.	Non biodegradable substances are very useful for recycling because they last for a long time and can be used in different industries for using them to produce new products.
Generally biodegradable substances do not cause serious damage to the environment before they take less time to mix with soil which is useful for recycling the nutrients cycle.	Non biodegradable substances sometimes cause serious toxic effects in the environment if the are thrown here and there.

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