Some items are very obviously biodegradable. Food scraps, untreated wood, and many other items like newspaper, eco-friendly paper products, cardboard, paper straws, plates, cups, and cutlery made of non-plastic recycled materials. All of these items biodegrade fairly easily （though at very different paces） and without much risk from their component parts.
Wood, paper products, and other materials that have been chemically treated, however, are likely to give you some trouble. Many of the chemical compounds used on these products not only make them harder to decompose, but they can also become toxic once they’ve begun to break down.
Another facet of biodegradability that should be considered is the conditions surrounding any particular material. For example, products that will safely biodegrade in nature or in your home compost heap will take much longer to biodegrade if they wind up in a landfill, all the while emitting greenhouse gases. The amount of light, water, bacteria, and toxins are all factors to be considered when judging how biodegradable an item is — the other is time.
