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Want to play airsoft, but still be green to mother earth at the same time? Then you'll want to use biodegradable BBs. Why clean up the BBs when nature can clean it up for you?
Crosman makes biodegradable airsoft BBs readily available on Amazon and many local retailers. So we got our hands on a 5000 round bottle (see photo below) of their 0.2 gram, 6mm, white, biodegradable BBs to try.
The first thing we noticed when we opened the 5000 count container is the distinct smell of biodegradable material. It smell vaguely like paint, but we knew that it's most likely the smell of biodegradable resin. The smell is only strong if you put your nose right up to the container. Otherwise, the smell is quite mild.
Sadly, Crosman's packaging doesn't state whether the BB compost via soil microbes or photosensitive. However, its web site states that it is made with "P-Life�, and patented OXO biodegradable compound." A quick search on the internet for these jargons indicates the Crosman biodegradable BBs decomposes via the means of living organisms and other biological means. A Wikipedia page mentions, "P-Life is an oxo plastic claiming biodegradability in soil at a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius reaches 66% after 545 days."
One reviewer on Amazon claims, "they go away after about 4 months." Crosman's web site states that "they will begin to degrade within 45 days under favorable environmental conditions." That would be perfect for backyard shooting without having to clean up the mess. Only improvement we'd like to see for the future is biodegradable BBs that decompose into fertilizer and weed killer for the lawn and garden. Would that be too much to ask?
The BBs are uniformly round and seamless. They seem to be precision BBs. So far, we have used the BBs in three distinct airsoft guns (two AEG SMG's, one AEG rifle, one spring pistol) and have no problems so far.