While often confused with biodegradable plastics, oxo-degradables are conventional plastics that are mixed with chemical additives that accelerate degradation when in contact with oxygen. Oxo-degradable plastics quickly fragment into smaller and smaller pieces, called microplastics, but don’t break down at the molecular or polymer level like biodegradable and compostable plastics. The resulting microplastics are difficult to clean up and are often left in the environment indefinitely causing harmful long-term effects. Of course, our products are NOT in this category and we strongly encourage you to pay attention when selecting products marketed as degradable or oxo-degradable.