A type of biodegradable plastic derived from biological substances such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch rather than from petroleum. Biodegradable plastics take only three to six months to fully decompose, far quicker than traditional petroleum plastic that can take upwards of 450 years to "degrade," while still leaving tiny persisting fragments called microplastics. Microplastics concentrate toxins on their surface and are small enough to permeate into all of our food and drinking sources.