Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
biodegradable (adj.)
means that materials so described are capable of being broken down by the action of bacteria or other microorganisms, as is the case with some detergents. The word is much in vogue these days as concern grows for our environment, whose landfills overflow with things that are not biodegradable or are insufficiently so and therefore threaten to outlast and ultimately bury us.
