Garden soil or potting mix
Identical containers with lids (e.g., yogurt tubs)
Scale (accurate to at least 0.01 g)
Oven or air-drying setup
Spray bottle for watering
Gloves, tweezers, sieve/colander
Cut samples (5 × 5 cm):
o
LDPE plastic bag (non-biodegradable)
o
o
Certified compostable PLA bag or cutlery
o
o
Uncoated paper
o
o
Orange peel
Method
1.
Preparation
2.
Cut materials into equal-sized pieces.
o
o
Dry each piece and record its initial dry mass.
3.
Setup
4.
Fill each container with equal amounts of soil.
o
o
Moisten the soil to a consistent dampness.
o
o
Bury one sample per container at a depth of about 5 cm.
5.
Maintenance
6.
Keep containers at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
o
o
Check soil moisture twice a week and mist as needed.
7.
Data Collection
8.
Every week, retrieve a sample (or use separate containers for each
week).
o
o
Rinse off soil, dry the sample to the same condition as Week 0, and
weigh it.
o
o
Record mass and appearance changes.
9.
Duration
10.
Continue for 6–8 weeks.
o
Data Analysis
Calculate:
%Mass Remaining=Dry Mass at Week tInitial Dry Mass×100\% \text{Mass
Remaining} = \frac{\text{Dry Mass at Week } t}{\text{Initial Dry Mass}} \times
100%Mass Remaining=Initial Dry MassDry Mass at Week t×100
Plot % mass remaining over time for each material.
Compare rates of decomposition.
Controls
Negative Control: LDPE plastic (expected to show little or no change).
Positive Control: Orange peel (expected to decompose quickly).
Safety Precautions
Wear gloves when handling soil.
Wash hands after each session.
Use adult supervision for oven drying.
Expected Outcome
Biodegradable materials (paper, orange peel, compostable PLA) will lose a greater
percentage of mass over the test period than LDPE plastic.
If you want, I can also make this into a colorful one-page science fair poster format
with charts and icons so
