5 most bizarre biodegradable products of all times

People are increasingly adopting greener and more eco-friendly alternatives in their everyday life and because of this heightened awareness, many companies are coming out with greener replacements for products that we use at a mass scale. The earth is increasingly becoming polluted and due to an increased consumer demand, a lot of the old and used items end up in landfills - leading to toxic wastes being released in the ground water and into the sea. Biodegradable alternatives are certainly a good solution for curbing the exponential growth of non-biodegradable waste in our society. Here are five very unusual but possible biodegradable products that are extremely innovative and impressive.

Eco-friendly shoes

1. Bicycle built 100% out of wood

Wooden bike

Marco Facciola, 16 years of age, has built an eco-friendly and a 100% biodegradable bike made out of wood. Each and every part and detail of this 'green' bicycle - from the chains to the gears - has been crafted out of wood. This impressive innovation was a part of Marco's non-academic project for his IB certification. Marco's mentor and inspiration has been his grandfather who was compelled to make wheels out of wood for his bike due to a scarcity of rubber during the war.

2. Vernacare bedpans

Biodegradable bedpans by Vernacare

Now cleaning and sterilizing bedpans would not be one of the chores that a nurse would have to perform as the Vernacare bedpan is a 100% biodegradable and hence, can be disposed straightaway! Vernacare is a Canada-based company that produced pulp paper products that look like egg cartons and are then coated with a natural resin to make the products leak-proof. The bedpans can be disposed off in a 'macerator' which is a machine that churns the bedpans into tiny fragments and then disposed the human excrement along with the churned paper to the sewage system. The bedpans not only save time but also spare the nurses from doing the necessary cleaning of bedpans. Apart from that, the odor in the patient units is reduced and so is the fear of infection due to bedpans. Since the macerator works silently, it does not lead to any discomfort amongst the patients. The usage of these biodegradable bedpans will also save the landfills of the voluminous quantity of waste plastic bedpans.

3. Biodegradable camera by 'Sony'

Biodegradable bedpans by Vernacare

The Sony ODO digital camera is a battery-free one that has been designed by Sony. This innovative camera makes use of kinetic energy for powering the device by simply giving the rounded head of the camera a twist. The movement of the camera head would transform the kinetic energy into electricity. This camera is made out of biodegradable vegetable resins and is beneficial for the environment. The camera takes good quality pictures and the next picture can be taken within a time frame of 15 seconds for the necessary charging of the camera. A flowerpot is also provided by Sony which acts as the docking system for this device.

4. Eco friendly running shoes by 'Brooks Sports'

Eco-friendly shoes

The 'Green Silence' is a great pair of eco-friendly shoes from Brooks Sports that maintains both performance and comfort apart from being 'green' in nature. You might be of the opinion that sustainable options are not quite effective and durable, but your perception will be changed as these pair of shoes are ergonomically designed and last for years. Normally, the soles of regular running shoes take more than a thousand years to decompose, but the soles of these shoes would take only 25 years to do so as the soles are coated with a natural additive that attracts the decomposing microbes to act upon the shoe. A lot of recycled items go into the making of these running shoes such as old water bottles, recycled CDs and old laces. The glues and dyes are all water-soluble and non-toxic.

Biodegradable pens from Grassroots

5. Biodegradable pens from 'Grassroots'

These amazing pens from Grassroots are the first biodegradable variety in the world and have been crafted out of corn! This 'green' pen is made out of a new by-product of corn start called Mater-Bi that forms the outer body of the pen, only the ink refill is made a non-corn material. The pen looks pretty much like all regular pens, except for the fact that it is totally biodegradable. It takes around eight months for these pens to decompose. The ink refills of these pens are available in two colors - black and blue. If you feel that you are through with your pen, then all you have to do is pull our the tungsten barrel and place it in the soil.