Top 20+ Items We Thought Would Decompose—But Still Haven’t

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

We were promised a greener future, but many “biodegradable” products are still sitting in landfills, breaking down about as fast as a classical pianist at a breakdance competition. Landfills are anaerobic (oxygen-poor) environments, which significantly slow down or halt the decomposition process. As a result, biodegradable materials can persist for years without breaking down. You might think you’re splurging for that “good for the planet product” but often you need to go that extra mile to actually make a difference. Here are 20 supposedly Earth-friendly items that are still hanging around long after they were tossed.

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Marketed as landfill-friendly alternatives, these plastic bags require specific industrial conditions to break down—conditions rarely met in the real world. Instead, they usually sit in garbage dumps, looking to the average passerby as regular plastic. As Katie Perry sings it, these bags will just keep drifting through the wind, waiting to start again.

#3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Such an eco-conscious, planet-friendly symbol of doing the right thing! But unless you send your coffee cups to a commercial composting plant (can you see the pattern?), they usually don’t break down. It gets worse… Many biodegradable coffee cups are lined with plastic that keeps them intact long after your caffeine buzz fades.

#4: Biodegradable Cutlery

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Made from cornstarch or polylactic acid (PLA), these forks and knives are sturdy enough to last. Unfortunately, it might be longer than you hope. If they end up in the woods or your backyard, instead of a proper compost, then they’ll stick around almost as long as their plastic counterparts.

#6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

These promise sustainability with every cycle, but in the wrong trash can, they’re just slightly greener landfill clutter. Similar to diapers, these products often end up in landfills where they don’t decompose as intended.

#7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Unlike the Styrofoam kind, these dissolve in water, sometimes. But when tossed into landfills, they often don’t see enough moisture to decompose, turning them into filler for years. Some packaging peanuts are made from starch and can dissolve in water, but others are made from polystyrene with additives to promote degradation.

#9: Biodegradable Food Containers

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Those takeout boxes marked “eco” might feel guilt-free, but most can’t decompose in a home compost pile. Often made from materials like PLA, these containers need industrial composting facilities to decompose. Imagine all that takeout you had last year filling up a garbage dump somewhere.

#10: Biodegradable Straws

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Better than plastic? Maybe. But unless they hit the perfect conditions, these straws just sit there, not breaking down, and not helping the sea turtles much either. Our recommendation? Get yourself a reusable straw and save yourself the hassle and the planet the harm.

#12: Biodegradable Balloons

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Marketed for guilt-free celebrations, these take years to decompose, if they even do. Many end up in waterways, causing more harm than their shiny exteriors suggest. We’re sorry to burst your bubble (or balloon) on this one.

#13: Biodegradable Glitter

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Festive and “green,” this sparkly stuff is still a microplastic nightmare. Unless composted properly, it can linger in the environment just like traditional glitter. It isn’t getting out of your hair for weeks, and it’ll almost certainly stay in the environment for much longer.

#15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Typically made with bamboo handles and nylon bristles, they’re only partly biodegradable. If not disassembled first, they just hang around like your old electric toothbrush. Your teeth might be clean, but we can’t promise the planet is.

#16: Biodegradable Pens

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

They look sleek and earthy, but unless you break them apart and compost each piece properly, they’re sticking around in the office junk drawer of history. We all loved showing up to a new school year with our fancy stationery, but these pens are nothing to write home about.

#18: Biodegradable Clothing

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

“Eco-fashion” isn’t always fast to fade. Many biodegradable fabrics still need the right environment to decompose. Just when you thought you could ditch your old tees guilt-free, the planet will thank you if you hold on to your clothes just that bit longer. We promise you, skinny jeans will come back in fashion eventually.

#19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

#1: Biodegradable Plastic Bags, #3: Biodegradable Coffee Cups, #4: Biodegradable Cutlery, #6: Biodegradable Sanitary Products, #7: Biodegradable Packaging Peanuts, #9: Biodegradable Food Containers, #10: Biodegradable Straws, #12: Biodegradable Balloons, #13: Biodegradable Glitter, #15: Biodegradable Toothbrushes, #16: Biodegradable Pens, #18: Biodegradable Clothing, #19: Biodegradable Detergent Pods

Sure, they dissolve in water, but the outer shell isn’t always as compostable as claimed. And don’t get us started on the environmental impact of the ingredients inside! These pods are sticking around. But at least the detergent pod-eating fad is over. If it isn’t good for us, it probably isn’t good for Mother Nature.

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