The Great Biodegradable Burial
In this activity, pairs of students will bury various items in an effort to determine the
relative degree of biodegradability among them. Lay out all the items to be buried on a
table and then have students hypothesize which items will biodegrade the fastest and
which the slowest. You should have the students list the items in order of their
biodegradability.
Now it is time for the burial. The items should be buried four to eight inches deep
depending on how likely they are to be dug up by animals or exposed by erosion. The
items should be buried individually one to two feet apart. The teacher should have a grid
map of exactly where everything is to be buried, especially if surface markers are not
used. The “plots” may or may not be watered after the burial (in dry areas you want to
start off with an initial “rainfall”).
In six to eight months the students should dig up their items for examination. Have
them rate each item according to its degree of biodegradability using a biodegradability
scale. Have them compare their actual analysis to their original hypothesis.
Here is a list of items that can be used:
1. piece of notebook paper
2. small piece of cardboard from a cardboard box
3. a small Styrofoam cup or Styrofoam packing “peanuts”
4. a piece of toilet paper
5. a handful of leaves
6. a small piece of wood
7. an orange or banana peel
8. an aluminum soda can
9. a couple of large rubber bands
10. a small plastic bag
11. a piece of cotton fabric
12. a glass bottle
13. three or four large iron nails
14. an eggshell
15. a handful of peanut or walnut shells
16. a page from a magazine ( with slick surface and photos)
17. piece of newspaper print
18. a lock of hair or fur
19. a small piece of leather
20. a small candle or piece of wax
21. a few copper pennies
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22. a piece of bread
23. a piece of synthetic fabric
24. a piece of wool fabric
25. a dead invertebrate
26. a painted wooden block or other painted wood item
27. a handful of starch packing “peanuts”
28. an unwrapped candy bar
29. Code 1 plastic (PETE) polyethylene terephthalate, soft drink bottles,
cooking oil bottles
30. Code 2 plastic (HDPE) high density polyethylene, milk and water jugs,
grocery bags, toys, liquid detergent bottles
31. Code 3 plastic (PVC) polyvinyl chloride, flooring, shower curtains,
house siding, and plumbing pipes
32. Code 4 plastic (LDPE) low density polyethylene, bread bags, frozen
food bags, cellophane wrap and grocery bags
33. Code 5 plastic (PP) polypropylene, ketchup bottles, yogurt containers,
margarine tubs, medicine bottles and long underwear.
34. Code 6 plastic (PS) polystyrene, videocassette cases, compact disc
jackets, foam coffee cups, knives, forks and spoons, grocery store meat
trays, fast food sandwich containers
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