re: #270 Altermite

Nonbiodegradable substances can still be toxic. In fact, many biodegradable substances are toxic.

The nonbiodegradable means they do not degrade into other compounds, which in many cases would be less toxic.

One example is shampoos- many shampoos are partially composed of non-biodegradable ingredients. This means that they do a great deal of damage if not cleaned out by the filters in our water cleaning systems, and continue to do that damage.

Biodegradable shampoos and soaps are often used by people traveling to places with less than adequate cleaning systems, especially near sensitive areas. The shampoos quickly degrade into non-toxic compounds, doing far less damage than their non-biodegradable equivalents.

Ah, you’re talking about liquids. Sure, something like shampoo is basically already a soup of toxic chemicals. And an animal can accidentally ingest and metabolize a liquid. But we’re talking about solids here.