JACOB'S SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT

Jacob, a Resources for Health Roots & Shoots youth leader, wanted to compare how plastic, paper, and cloth bags biodegrade. So he buried one of each type of bag beneath some dirt and watered occassionally for six weeks. He had read in garbologist William Rathje's research that: “In a dry landfill, paper bags don’t degrade any faster than plastic bags. In a normal, well-run landfill, paper bags do not biodegrade any faster over at least 40 years than plastic.” But after only six weeks beneath the dirt, Jacob's paper and cloth bags had almost completely biodegraded, while the plastic bag remained intact. The lesson from this experiment is that people not only need to Use Less Stuff, but also to compost more and throw away less. That means also carefully choosing reusable items that are made of renewable and compostable materials, not more plastic.