Use from Refuse - Biodegradable Materials Display Bottle

Materials:

Plastic drinking water bottle, piece of styrofoam, piece of aluminum foil, piece of brown paper sack, piece of plastic bag, or piece of plastic six-pack holder, pieces of food such as a banana peel, orange rind, bread, cheese (be creative- add a variety of materials), and fungus from the activity, What is Fungus and What Does it Do in Our Environment?

Instructions:

• Cut all of the materials you will use into small pieces able to fit through the bottle's opening.

• Sketch each item you will be placing in the bottle.

• Select a chunk of one of the moldy food samples you have from the activity,
      What is Fungus and What Does it Do in Our Environment? and add it to the materials in the bottle.

• Cap the bottle and give a little shake to mix up the materials and spread the fungus around a bit.
      Use a nail to carefully poke three or four air holes near the top of the bottle.

• Keep the bottle in a dark, warm place. After about a week, observe the materials in the bottle and note
      those which have and have not begun to be biodegraded. Spill out the contents of the bottle and
      note those items which have and have not begun to break down.

Discussion:

This demonstration models what occurs in the landfill. There are materials which simply will not be broken down by natural means by helpful organisms such as fungus and bacteria.