Two ways in which non-biodegradable substances would affect the environment are:
(i) Some of the non-biodegradable wastes (pesticides and heavy metals) convert the land into barren land and enter the food chain thus, effecting human beings and other biotic components of the environment.
(ii) Pesticides and other chemicals enter water and food chains. They affect the fertility of soil and harm all kind of living organisms. Human beings are harmed the most because they are at the top of the food chain.
