By Tim Joyce, KOIN Local 6 Environmental Reporter

Myth:   I can throw this away, it’s biodegradable!

Truth:   I’ve seen so many products now on the market that are supposed to just break down over time and supposedly will be harmless to the environment. Sustainlane.com, an on-line sustainability guide says that’s only partly true. Modern landfills are packed tightly so food scraps and other biodegradable things don’t get the things they need to decompose: oxygen, light and micro-organisms. This means an increase of methane gas which is also a greenhouse gas four times more potent as a global warmer than carbon dioxide.

Green(er) Tip:

If you’d like to make sure your biodegradable products really do decompose, you can do it yourself. That means take your kitchen scraps and biodegradable faux plastics and start a compost pile. There are two kinds: hot and cold. Hot piles are a little more challenging to maintain since you need a proper ratio of ingredients. But a cold pile will work just the same, it will just take longer. But, in a compost pile decomposition can take place properly- you can help it along by turning your pile regularly to make sure a steady flow of oxygen gets to the decomposing matter.