Decomposition time of a plastic bag. Garbage will sit in landfills for thousands of years.
Do you know how long it takes for plastic, paper, food waste or diapers, without which it is difficult for a young mother to imagine life today? Look at these waste decomposition times and you'll see why we need to not only learn how to eat, but also reduce our consumption of products that produce waste.
Let's take a look at how long it takes different types of waste to decompose. Of course, it should also be taken into account that the time it takes for waste to decompose may depend on the conditions at landfills.
Let us also recall the shocking photo project American photographer Greg Segal, which can be viewed here to see how much waste one family produces in a week.
How long does it take for plastic to decompose?
Plastic products are very common in our modern life. It is estimated that every year we use about 1.6 million barrels of oil just to produce plastic water bottles. Plastic waste are one of the many types of waste that take too long to decompose.
As a rule, the decomposition time of plastic products can reach 1 thousand years. Wherein plastic bags, which we often use in our daily lives, can decompose from 100 to 1 thousand years, and plastic bottles- from 450 years and more.
How long does it take for diapers to decompose?
How long does it take for an aluminum can to decompose?
Every minute, every day, more than 120 thousand are recycled in America alone. aluminum cans.
But at the same time, in three months so many aluminum cans are thrown out there that it would be enough to rebuild the entire American air fleet.
Aluminum cans will take 80-200 years to decompose.
How long does it take for glass to decompose?
Glass is generally very easy to recycle, mainly because it is made from natural material- from sand. By melting glass products, we can produce new glass.
But the shocking fact is that if glass is thrown into landfills, it will take a million years to decompose. And according to other data, glass does not decompose in nature at all.
How long does it take for paper to decompose?
As a rule, the time it takes for paper to decompose is 2-6 weeks. But if we recycle waste paper, we not only save a lot of space in landfills, but also save trees from being cut down.
How long does it take for food waste to decompose?
By weight, food waste is the largest waste item in American landfills. The time it takes for food waste to break down depends on the type of food.
For example, orange peels decompose in 6 months, and peeling apples or banana peel will decompose in about one month. This is why it is so important to sort waste.
How long does it take to decompose other types of waste?
Different sources give different information about how long it takes to settle different types garbage. But the numbers are not very different. We present them below:
- Cigarette butts - 10-12 years;
- Plastic cup - 50 years;
- Leather shoes - 25-40 years;
- Cardboard packaging from milk - 5 years;
- Plywood - 1-3 years;
- Painted boards - 13 years;
- Cotton gloves - 3 months;
- Cardboard - 2 months;
- Polystyrene foam - does not decompose;
- Nylon fabric - 30-40 years;
- Tin can - 50 years;
- Rope - 3-14 months;
- Batteries - 100 years;
- Sanitary pads - 500-800 years (they can be replaced);
- Woolen clothes 1-5 years.
The increase in waste is a serious problem for humanity. The best way To combat this problem, avoid using products that produce waste and take more than a year to decompose.
Based on materials from thebalance.com
It’s not for nothing that it’s customary in the world to sort garbage waste, which residents throw away, and in some of them you can get a fine for incorrect sorting. Why were such laws passed? developed countries peace? The reason is simple: many types of waste take a very long time to decompose, or during decomposition they cause irreparable harm to the environment around them, which is why they are destroyed or processed in a special way. We present to you the decomposition times for different types of household waste.
1. Animal droppings - decomposition period 10-15 days
Least harmful garbage, which can be seen on the streets of small towns and villages, but it causes a lot of trouble for residents.
2. Food waste - decomposition period 30 days
Potato peelings, meat trimmings and everything that remains edible after cooking can be classified as this species garbage. Not that dangerous yet.
3. Newsprint - decomposition period 1-4 months
Before you throw the newspaper on the road, think about the fact that for another 4 whole months the residents of your yard will enjoy the paper trampled into the dirt.
4. Leaves, seeds, twigs - decomposition period 3-4 months
If the parks weren't cleaned up natural waste utilities, then soon people would be walking through mountains of branches and leaves.
5. Cardboard boxes - decomposition period 3 months
It is completely harmless waste if you throw it in trash cans.
6. Office paper - decomposition period 2 years
Yes, just imagine. It's all about composition and density: paper is made specifically so that documents printed on it can be stored for a long time, which, unfortunately, does not ignore the period of its decomposition.
7. Boards - decomposition period 10 years
Ordinary boards that are used on construction sites. Naturally, if they are not subject to any processing (for example, impregnation with fuel oil).
8. Steel cans - decomposition period 10 years
Like boards, cans of stewed meat or condensed milk will rot in the ground for another 10 years after you throw them under a tree in the forest.
9. Shoes - decomposition period 10 years
Everything here naturally depends on the composition of the shoe and the degree of its wear, however, on average, shoes made of leatherette will begin to decompose within a tenth of a century.
10. Fragments of brick and concrete - decomposition period is 100 years
Specifically, the garbage that every development company likes to bury under the playground in the courtyard of the house. True, they do this quite often. Maybe this is justified: since the “Stalin” ones have already been standing for 80 years.
11. Car batteries - decomposition period 100 years
This kind of waste is naturally more profitable to recycle. After all, for 1 used battery (20-25 kg) you can earn about 500 rubles.
12. Foil - decomposition period more than 100 years
True, despite the fact that the thickness of the iron leaf is less than 0.5 mm, it is very strongly compressed. So don't throw away your packaging. meat products on hikes.
13. Electric batteries - decomposition period 110 years
Here, not only the decomposition period plays a role, but also the harm to the environment that a lithium battery causes when it oxidizes. Quite a lot charitable organizations, fighting for the cleanliness of the planet, offer to save batteries so that they will later drive up and take them from you.
14. Rubber tires - decomposition period 120-140 years
Rubber is one of the most resistant materials. Fortunately, when replacing tires at a service station, most of drivers leave their old one as a gift, or for a symbolic price there. And smart service holders hand it over for recycling later.
15. Plastic bottles - decomposition period 180-200 years
Plastic is also highly dangerous and toxic, not to mention it's not exactly cute to see roadsides littered with empty plastic Coca-Cola bottles.
16. Aluminum cans - decomposition period 500 years
Almost the most dangerous garbage. It takes a long time to decompose, releases harmful substances during oxidation, and predominates on our planet.
17. Glass - decomposition period is more than 1000 years
No one knows how much of it is already packed in our holiday destinations. Just think: a millennium! At least another 12-15 generations will enjoy our fragments.
Details Published: January 29, 2016Friends, maybe let's start saving nature?
Plastic degradation has become one of the the most pressing problems modernity, since the planet is completely looming real danger completely “drown” in mountains of plastic bottles and plastic bags.
IN Pacific Ocean Not far from Indonesia, a whole continent has already formed from plastic bottles and other waste, exceeding in size the largest big Island- Greenland. And the production of plastic products and plastic containers is growing and growing - only over the last 10 years in Russia, its production volumes have increased 10 times.
Classification of additives that accelerate the decomposition of plastic
- Oxo-additives speed up the crushing of bags into small pieces, which are no longer so harmful to animals. All toxic properties are preserved, and the complete decomposition of these small pieces does not accelerate.
- Additives that accelerate the breakdown of polymer molecular chains under the influence of sunlight, a certain air temperature, moisture and other activating factors. The decomposition period of polyethylene with such additives is accelerated to 5 years.
- Additives that cause the release of carbon and hydrogen molecules from plastic, which are already freely absorbed by bacteria and fungi.
- Finally, biopolymer is a plastic made from plant waste, such as corn stalks. This is the most harmless and quickly degradable version of polymers today.
How long does it take for different types of plastic to decompose without additives?
Plastic decomposition occurs with at different speeds depending on its composition. Plastic bags decompose the fastest - about 100 years in the soil. Products made from polypropylene and other types of food and non-food plastic take much longer to decompose. Their term complete decomposition in the soil is at least 500 years. For comparison, the decomposition period of aluminum cans is 500 years, tin cans - 100 years, bones - from 10 years. The decomposition period of plastic in water increases many times and is not even known exactly. Plastic bags floating in water cause mass death fish and birds. But that is not all. During the decomposition of plastic into environment toxic substances are released that poison the soil and water (styrene, formaldehyde, phenol, chlorprene, urethane, etc.).
What other options are offered to solve the problem?
- Stopping the production of food plastic containers and plastic bags following the example of China and India.
- Further development of so-called biopolymers, that is, plastics that quickly decompose into natural conditions without releasing toxic substances.
- Changing the composition of household polymers to reversible ones (those that can be melted down many times).
- Breeding a special type of bacteria that will process and neutralize plastic residues in special storage facilities. It is proposed to remove such bacteria using the method of genetic modification.
The development of civilization has brought a lot useful fruits to our society. Development of technology, scientific discoveries, original research in various areas significantly simplified and extended human life, made it more enjoyable and interesting. But along with the convenience of using the new materials that have appeared, the problem of their disposal has also arisen.
Such simple but dangerous packaging
Cellophane, polyethylene, plastic - these packaging materials have literally filled our lives and have become part of the everyday life of every family. Accordingly, these materials are thrown into a waste bin, subsequently ending up in garbage containers, therefore they belong to the category of solids household waste(MSW).
We don't even think about the enormous amount of slowly decomposing waste that we produce every day, simply by throwing once-used bags into the trash. Meanwhile, product packaging accounts for approximately 40% of all waste on the entire planet! An impressive figure, isn't it?
It would seem like a thin plastic bag, or plastic container They look quite harmless, because they can be torn so easily. In fact, the same plastic bottle takes about 100 years to decompose, and polyethylene film and even more - as much as 200 years. Foil also has a considerable period of natural decomposition - at least 100 years, the same amount of time it takes nature to get rid of rubber tires.
If nothing is done about the solid waste that accumulates daily in homes, offices and enterprises, then soon the world could easily become mired in the waste of civilization. This is why the work of waste recycling plants and specialized companies involved in the collection, timely removal and proper disposal various types waste, including solid waste. Our company LLC is just such an enterprise. Clean world", we carefully care about the preservation of the environment and professionally fulfill our responsibilities by disposing of waste according to the latest technologies and in specially designated places.
How long does it take for trash to disappear?
As we have already found out, polyethylene products take a very long time to decompose. What would happen if the garbage was never removed, but simply left to rot in the streets? The consequences would be terrifying, because even the most harmless things at first glance, without proper disposal, can cause a serious blow to the environment.
The approximate decomposition times for some types of waste are as follows:
- food waste, paper towels and bags, banana peels, animal droppings, newspapers decompose up to 1 month;
- approximately 1-2 years should pass for cardboard boxes, items made from natural fabrics, ropes, woolen socks, leaves and branches to smolder;
- you will have to wait about 10 years for the decomposition of wooden boards and large branches, iron cans and fittings, cigarette butts and milk cartons;
- It will take approximately 50 years for plastic foam products, leather shoes or synthetic clothing to degrade;
- for at least 100 years, in addition to the above-mentioned wrapping materials, tin cans, electric batteries, car batteries, fragments of concrete and bricks, as well as metal products decompose;
- it takes as long as 500 years for aluminum cans and disposable diapers to decompose;
- ordinary glass takes the longest to decompose, up to 1000 years, so you should think before breaking a bottle on the beach or within the city.
A clean city is the task of every resident
So what can we do to reduce the amount of trash on the streets that takes so long to break down?
The most important thing is to try to minimize the amount of waste produced. Owners of enterprises and industries, where the size of daily garbage piles reach significant sizes, should under no circumstances simply dispose of solid waste to the nearest landfill (often unauthorized). Responsible people who care about the environment and the health of other people have been using the services of waste recycling companies for a long time. LLC "Clean World" provides exactly such services in the city of St. Petersburg; we take care of the solid waste entrusted to us from beginning to end. Our clients do not have to worry about the reliability of waste disposal. The quality of work of the Clean World LLC company is ensured by experienced and hardworking employees who know their task perfectly, as well as by the presence of new specialized equipment capable of coping with any volume of work.
In order for the special services involved in waste collection to cope with their work more effectively, each person must take a responsible approach to the problem of waste accumulation. After all, it’s not at all difficult not to throw the candy bar wrapper on the ground, but to carry it to the trash, not to trample the cigarette butt into the dust with your heel, but to throw it into the nearest trash can.
Unfortunately, litter pollutes not only the earth, but also water bodies. In many Asian countries some rivers look more like sewers with plastic bottles floating on the surface, while bad smell from water artery spreads over many meters around.
To prevent the beautiful rivers of our homeland from turning into such rotting reservoirs, there is no need to throw plastic, glass and tin containers into the water. You should also not leave trash on the shore. Particularly dangerous are fragments from broken glass bottles. Not only will it take almost a millennium before the glass disappears, but the sharp edges of the fragments can also injure other people; inquisitive children often become victims of previously broken containers. If you go on a picnic, clean up all the remnants of the feast, and then surrounding nature will remain clean and untouched, and will delight hundreds more people with its blooming view.
Clean World LLC stands guard over the cleanliness of St. Petersburg, and the professional skills of its team can be confirmed by the presence of all permitting documents to work with solid waste and other types of waste of human civilization.
On the Internet you can find a lot of information about the decomposition times of different types of waste, but, as a rule, it is not indicated official source information and some figures are questionable. The Epoch Times analyzed several specialized sources on English language, to clarify the time frame during which garbage decomposes. The publication presents infographics for a more visual understanding.
According to environmental policy expert Tatiana Tevkun, official landfills alone occupy about 7% of Ukraine's territory. At the same time, waste accumulation increases by 5-7% annually.
Although some city residents may take waste to specialized points receptions marked on " Epoch Times“However, the issue has not been resolved at the state level, and most of the population continues to throw all waste into one box.
Let's see how many years it will take for the waste that ends up in a landfill to decompose.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services website has published a list that gives an idea of the approximate decomposition time of some items that end up in the trash.
At the same time, the decomposition period of plastic bags given in this table raises doubts. Many Ukrainian sources give their decomposition period as 100-200 years. Some sources give a figure of 500 or even 1000 years. However, it is impossible to establish an exact figure for the reason that plastic bags have been used for a little over 50 years, and scientists determine the decomposition period only experimentally.
At the same time, environmentalists say that even biodegradable bags may never break down completely. This is due to the fact that when they decompose to the smallest particles, microorganisms do not want to process them. Thus, microparticles of plastic will continue to exist in an unprocessed form, although they are not visible to the naked eye. Scientists have yet to study the influence of these particles on nature.
We also suggest that you get acquainted with data from another Western source dedicated to recycling waste - .
The website publishes the average value of decomposition times various waste on garbage dumps taken from Western information sources.
It takes over a million years for glass and ceramics to break down into smaller things under the influence of water, but they can survive indefinitely in the ground.
The decomposition period of paper is not very long, but lead dyes end up in water bodies with runoff, making the water unfit for drinking, poisoning the soil and everything that grows on it.
Of course, not everything we throw away harms the environment; organic waste is even useful, as it fertilizes the earth. The decomposition time of organic waste is minimal, but when it accumulates in city landfills, it produces an unpleasant odor and attracts insects and rodents that spread various infectious diseases. At the same time, it is believed that the methane gas released organic waste in a landfill, contributes to global warming.
One of the most hazardous waste are batteries and energy-saving lamps containing mercury. One battery is believed to pollute 20 meters of area or 400 liters of water.
Much of what we throw into landfills can get a second life. Sorting waste that has already ended up in a landfill is a rather difficult and costly task; the only way out is to separate human waste at the level of each family.