nonbiodegradable

adjective non·bio·de·grad·able \ ˌnän-ˌbī-(ˌ)ō-di-ˈgrā-də-bəl \

|Updated on: 27 Jun 2018

Definition of nonbiodegradable

: not capable of being broken down by the action of living organisms : not biodegradable

nonbiodegradable packaging

Recent Examples of nonbiodegradable from the Web

The Sierra Club hopes Newport Beach restaurants will cut their use of single-use plastic utensils and food and drink containers to help keep the nonbiodegradable items out of the ocean.

— hillary davis, latimes.com, "Environmentalists seek less plastic use by restaurants in Newport," 9 June 2018
There are no nationwide restrictions on the use of plastic bags in the United States, though states like California and Hawaii ban nonbiodegradable bags.

— kimiko de freytas-tamura, New York Times, "In Kenya, Selling or Importing Plastic Bags Will Cost You $19,000 — or Jail," 28 Aug. 2017
Glitter, for the most part, is made up of tiny bits of shimmering, nonbiodegradable plastic that are bad for your skin and bad for the environment.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Forecastle doesn't want you to bring glitter - but not for the reasons you might think," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonbiodegradable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.