| Biodegradable Wastes | Nonbiodegradable Wastes |
| Origin. They are biological in origin. | They are commonly man-made. |
| Degradability. The wastes are degraded by microorganisms. | They are not degraded by microorganisms. |
| Accumulation. They do not accumulate in nature. | They pile up and accumulate in nature. |
| Biomagnification. The biodegradable wastes do not show biomagnification. | The soluble nondegradable wastes enter food chains and undergo biomagnification. |
| Resource. The wastes can be converted into resource. Examples. Garbage, livestock wastes, sewage. | Some wastes can be recycled. Examples. Plastic, polythene, glass, nickel, cadmium, several pesticides. |