1. Degradation
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2. Types of Degradation Biodegradation Photo degradation
Thermal degradation
Hydrolysis
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3. What is biodegradation?
Biodegradation is when items (including natural items and man-made products) decompose or ‘breakdown’ very slowly into very small parts by natural processes (bacteria, fungi, or other biological means). bio·deg·ra·da·tion \noun bio·de·grad·abil·i·ty / noun bio·de·grade / verb bio·de·grad·able / adjective
The word biodegradable is often associated with environmentally friendly products that are capable of decomposing back into natural elements (e.g. the earth).
For example we often use the terms “biodegradable” and “non – biodegradable” to describe items that we use. This means it will breakdown faster – and be less harmful on the environment.
However, as we often producing products that will withstand the environment conditions and last longer: Plastic bags, synthetics, plastic bottles, tin cans are just a few things that make our lives easier.
But what we forget is that these advanced products do not break down naturally.
However, a lot of items that breakdown, take a very long time. Scientists are now finding that even when a lot of these items have broken down into tiny tiny particles, they can still have a harmful effect on the environment and our health.
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4. Other types of degradation
Photo degradation: action of sunlight in outdoor exposure. Thermal degradation: action of high temperatures (usually not environmental). Hydrolysis: reaction with water.
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5. Processed (not natural)
Materials on the Shore
Natural
Processed (not natural)
Natural: Sand, Shells, Seaweed, Water
Processed (not natural): Cigarette butt, Plastic Bottle, Tin can
Seaweed
Sand
shells
Plastic Bottle
Tin Can
Water
Cigarette Butt
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6. Can you guess how long the following items take to degrade
Can you guess how long the following items take to degrade? Try to match the material with the correct length of time.
Paper Towels
Styrofoam
Fishing Line
Plastic bag
Tin Can
Plastic Bottle lids
Cigarette butt
Apple
Aluminium Can
Disposal nappy
450 years
Unknown, just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces
years
years
2-4 weeks
1-5 years
600 years
10-20 years
1-2 months
400 years
Items typically found on the beach
Approximate time for compounds to biodegrade in a marine environment
Paper towels 2-4 weeks
Newspaper 6 weeks
Corrugated box 2 months
Apple 1-2 months
Banana peel 2-5 weeks
Cotton Cloth 5 months
Cigarette butt 1-5 years
Plywood (e.g. for building) 1-3 years
Waxed carton (e.g. milk cartons) 5 years
Plastic bags years
Nylon fabric (e.g. clothing) years
Leather 50 years
Rubber years
Tin cans (e.g. tinned food) years
Aluminium cans (e.g. drink cans) years
Soft plastic (e.g. drink bottles) 100 years
Hard plastic (e.g. bottle caps / lids) 400 years
Disposable nappy 450 years
Monofilament Fishing Line 600 years
Glass Thousands of years
Styrofoam While many things eventually break down after a number of years, Styrofoam is one of the few things that does not biodegrade.
Tinfoil Tinfoil also does not biodegrade
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7. Websites for extra exploration
Images on Degradation: search for images using the phase “How long does it take to degrade” for a selection of info graphics.
“Ocean Today” produced by NOAA in America. This site has a selection of videos in the section on “Fix our Ocean”.
“Two minutes on Oceans with Tim Toomey” produced by the United Nations Education Programme.
Search “Marlisco marine litter video” on Vimeo for an excellent animation on the marine litter and its impact on the environment.
Because a lot of these items take a very long time to degrade, we are filling up our landfills at an extremely fast rate.
Discuss with the children: What do you think we could do to reduce the use of materials that take a long time to … and to stop them finding their way onto our shorelines and into our ocean?
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8. Websites highlighting how we can help reduce micro beads
Micro beads are tiny pieces of plastic that are added to products such as shampoo and toothpaste.
There are now a number of campaigns trying to stop this practice. They include:
Clean coasts Beat the Microbead Ireland
Beat the Microbead International
Lets Ban the Bead- the Story of Stuff
(Use these phases on your internet search to find more information).
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