The problem of waste removal and disposal is everywhere, and when improperly managed, can affect the health and wellness of millions. After all, plastic isn’t the only type of waste that we need to find a place for on this planet. The numbers for plastic decomposition may range from 20 years to 1,000 years, but where do these figures come from? If plastic has only been around for a little over a century, how could we possible know that it takes a millennium to decompose?īefore we explore the nuances of plastic degradation, let’s take a look at the overall idea of decomposition. Within these now-common refrains, we often hear a range of figures for how long it takes plastic to decompose, as an argument behind diligent recycling practices. One-time use coffee cups, plastic bags, sanitary napkins, plastic water bottles and dozens of other readily disposed culprits have become ubiquitous in our society, leading many environmentalists to speak out about their dangers. However, while greenhouse gases and global warming receive a huge amount of attention today, the importance of recycling and the problem of growing waste and pollution has been in the public eye since the 1970s.ĭespite the public awareness of this problem, the past decade has seen more plastic production than all of the plastic produced in the previous century. The planet is facing a dire environmental crisis that is being exacerbate by many different factors, but there is general global consensus that human activity is a large contributor to the problem, largely due to the ever-increasing emissions of greenhouse gases. Since plastic was only invented 115 years ago, there is no first-hand evidence of plastic completely breaking down, so our long-term estimates for plastic decomposition time are educated guesses based on various laboratory simulations and observations.
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