Biodegradability in landfills

We received a great question from Jenny that asked us, "Is there an environmentally friendly plastic bag that will biodegrade in the landfill?"

This is a tough question to answer because plastic bags and biodegradable bags have their pluses and minuses. One fact to point out is that things do not biodegrade in landfills (if they do, there are very few of these that have anaerobic processes!)
They are meant to entomb garbage such that they don't leak into the environment. This is tough for an earth that is naturally predisposed to not creating waste. However, if you are lucky enough to have a backyard with a composter, it is great to stick the bags into there - just make sure to follow the directions on the bag!

Plastic bags are great in the sense that they are portable and light and really only make up 1% of landfill - but boy are they harmful! In Delhi, they have been known to clog up waste drains (as a result they are bringing out legislation to fine/jail people who still use them in their shops!), and many sea animals die every year from ingesting plastic bags. It also takes thousands and thousands of years for them to degrade (even scientists aren't even sure if that's the case!) So in that sense, biodegradable bags are less harmful since they will eventually degrade.

I hope that sheds some light on plastic bags for you all.