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photodegrade

photodegrade
 v.Gloss: (of plastics and polymers) to breakdown when exposed to sunlight. Note: A more technical definition of photodegradation is here. «Plastic bags don’t biodegrade. They only break down into tiny toxic little bits that pollute the soil and our waterways. This process is called photodegrade and it takes around 1,000 years for these bags to break down in our landfills.» —“Bush’s Niece Endorses Plastic Bag Recycling” by Sewell Chan New York Times Nov. 5, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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