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Isn't biodegradability not a feature we want in most manufactured goods? Doesn't that just mean they will start to rot and break down on their own?
by dokem 4y ago
Isn't biodegradability not a feature we want in most manufactured goods? Doesn't that just mean they will start to rot and break down on their own?
- teucris 4y agoThe issue is time scales. Plastics take thousands of years to degrade but we only really use plastic products for a few years. What can we find that hits a sweet spot of, say, 10 years? Wood does this well, and it’s mostly cellulose. So is paper and this stuff.
- orthecreedence 4y agoIf people are going to manufacture trash that breaks or become oBsOlEtE after a year anyway, you might as well have it biodegrade when it's done.
- userbinator 4y agoIt's not, but the planned obsolescence advocates sure love it, since they can make products self-destruct and eco-virtue-signal at the same time.
- ajsnigrutin 4y agoDepends on what you want. Disposable cups, plates, forks, spoons, etc? Sure... eat whatever was in them, throw them wherever, and they'll rot very fast. Electronics.. mostly not. Maybe some light-up bracelets for a festival, but those also contain batteries and LEDs, but it's still better if at least the strap degrades and rot.
- schwartzworld 4y agoLots of electronics are waterproofed as well. I doubt that biodegradation would happen very quickly inside a modern smartphone chassis