Are there mechanisms in place to treat the biodegradable and nonbiodegradable wastes separately?

Answer 1

There are many kinds of waste, and many ways of disposing of waste. Most communities have sewage treatment plants, which treat sewage waste. Improvements in how this is done are coming rapidly.

Industrial waste might or might not be biodegradable. For example inorganic chemicals are not normally biodegradable. On the other hand, leather scraps and wood chips are. Some non-biodegradable waste is put into landfills, and some is recycled for reuse. Biodegradable industrial waste may be digested in special reaction vessels. Farm wastes may be similarly treated.

Hazardous waste is specially treated, as required. Nuclear waste is left in casks at the plants that created it, until someone makes a decision about what to do with it.

Household waste is often segregated, as required by municipalities. Plastics and metals, which are not biodegradable, are recycled. Hazardous waste goes into special containers, often on designated days. Biodegradable waste is often composted, either by the municipality, or by the resident.

Biodegradable waste can give off methane gas as it decomposes. Methane is a powerful global warming gas, much more powerful than carbon dioxide. In places where a sufficient amount of methane is generated, it is often used to generate heat or electricity.

In other words, the answer is Yes.

Answer 2

. that cannot be broken down in the environment by natural process