Numbers Don't Lie

Thursday, February 16, 2006

How long does it take for trash to biodegrade ?

Many household trash take much longer to biodegrade than you thought. In general, organic waste tend to decompose quickly in landfills, but if they are overly compressed, like plastic bottle or bags which seal out oxygen and soil microbes, then they are even tougher than inorganic materials.
How long does it take for trash to biodegrade ?
Plastic soda bottles ............ forever
Glass bottles ............ 1 million years
Batteries ............ 100 years
Aluminum + tin cans ............ 50 to 100 years
Plastic bags ............ 10 to 20 years
Orange peel ............ 6 months
Paper ............ 2 to 5 months

Source link

Labels:

5 Comments:

Blogger David said...

Yes, but plastic, glass, and aluminum can be recycled. It would be a waste of energy to wait and let them degrade.

12:27 AM

 
Blogger Bike Drool said...

I'm not completely sure what you're talking about.

www.bikedrool.blogspot.com

12:56 AM

 
Blogger CCCCppppCCppp said...

1.if we recycle everything what will future archeologists have available to dig up
2.I guess its time to start making cars out of the same stuff as plastic soda bottles

1:19 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I read that phone books take forever to break down as well...

Interesting blog! ty

3:22 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is true that it would be a waste to not recycle the materials listed above, because most stuff can be recycled. for example in Britain, most news papers that are recycled are churned out six weeks later as more news papers and aluminium cans are recycled and made into parts of planes... just think when your crossing the atlantic... your flying in something made of old coke cans... This is great, it really is, but it still costs more money to recycle than it does to bury our waste and waste management in the form of landfill sites are manly opperated by private companies and put a lot of cash in someones pocket.. i think thats a big part of the problem

7:32 AM

 

Post a Comment

<< Home