The term oxo-biodegradation is used to describe the two-stage process of polyolefin degradation. The first stage involves the reaction of oxygen in the air with the polymer. The carbon backbone of the polymer is oxidized6resulting in the formation of smaller molecular fragments. The first stage of oxo-degradation is an abiotic process. The incorporation of oxygen into the carbon chain polymer backbone results in the formation of functional groups such as carboxylic or hydro-carboxylic acids, esters as well as aldehydes and alcohols. The hydrocarbon polymers change their behaviour from hydrophobic to hydrophilic thereby allowing the fragmented polymer to absorb water.The second stage is biodegradation of the oxidation products by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and algae) that consume the oxidized carbon backbone fragments to form CO2, H2O and biomass.In the first stage of oxo-biodegradation, the oxidative degradation of the polymer can be accelerated by ultraviolet (UV) light (photodegradation) or by thermal degradation using heat over time. Initial abiotic oxidation is an important stage as it determines the rate of the entire process. These processes are described in more detail below.