Which garbage takes the longest to decompose? How long do different types of garbage decompose (19 photos)

Details Published: January 29, 2016

Plastic degradation has become one of the the most pressing problems modernity, since the planet faces a very real danger of completely “drowning” in the mountains plastic bottles and plastic bags.

IN Pacific Ocean has already formed near Indonesia the whole continent from plastic bottles and other waste, exceeding in size the largest 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 is not accelerated.
• Additives that accelerate the breakdown of polymer molecular chains under the influence of sunlight, certain air temperatures, 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. Decomposes most quickly plastic bags- about 100 years in the soil. Products made from polypropylene and other types of food and non-food plastic take much longer to decompose. The period for their 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 massive deaths of fish and birds. But that is not all. During decomposition, plastic releases toxic substances into the environment that poison the soil and water (styrene, formaldehyde, phenol, chlorprene, urethane, etc.).

What other options are offered to solve the problem?

• Stopping food production plastic containers and plastic bags following the example of China and India.
• Further development of so-called biopolymers, that is, plastic that quickly decomposes in 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.

It is not for nothing that it is customary in the world to sort garbage waste that 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 of different types of household waste.

1. Animal droppings - decomposition period 10-15 days

The least harmful garbage that can be seen on the streets of small towns and villages, however, 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

Here everything 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” buildings 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 environment, which is caused by a lithium battery, oxidizing. 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 drivers leave their old ones as a gift, or for a nominal cost 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 and releases harmful substances when oxidized, it 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.

Friends, maybe let's start saving nature?

Human civilization produces a huge amount of garbage, which is already... Many of us, finishing another bottle soft drink, do not think about what awaits her in the future. How long will it lie in a landfill under a layer of earth and clay? I can assure you that many centuries will pass before it is destroyed. Landfill conditions are ideal for preserving our waste. No one gets under the thick layer of earth. sunlight, nor oxygen. Perhaps after many thousands of years, our archaeological descendants (if they survive) will consider these “traces of life” of their ancestors with great interest. Let's find out how long the “works of human hands” will lie in the ground.

Glass bottle - one million years
That's how long a normal one will last Glass bottle. Glass is made from quartz sand and is therefore very resistant to aggressive environments. So our descendants will have a chance to find even a whole bottle of beer that was not drunk by some connoisseur of this drink.

Plastic bag – from 500 to 1000 years
A plastic bag that is “inedible” for destructive microorganisms will lie in the ground for about 1000 years. Fortunately, many countries, which means our descendants have a chance to live not on a garbage heap.

Aluminum – from 80 to 200 years
According to scientists' calculations, in 2004 alone, about 55 billion aluminum cans were buried in landfills around the world, which is 760% more than in 1972.

Cigarette butts – from 1 to 5 years
Despite the apparent “fragility” of cigarette butts natural environment They also do not collapse as quickly as we would like. The culprit is the residue left over from smoking. toxic substances and cellulose acetate, which makes up the filter. The sheer number of smokers makes cigarette butts particularly hazardous to the environment.

Newspaper – 2-4 weeks, some publications longer 😉
There have been cases where samples of newspapers from 15 years ago were found in landfills under a pile of earth. Under a thick layer of earth, in the absence of oxygen, they are actually preserved. The big advantage of newspapers is that they can be recycled.

Apple core – 1-2 months, in some cases longer
A piece of wood lying in your trash can may still exist for two months. Food waste, once in a landfill under a thick layer of earth and waste, also decomposes quite slowly. In the slowest "scenario" they decompose only 50% every 20 years.

The growing multi-kilometer landfills make us think. If the consumer boom continues just as intensely, then soon we ourselves will be living on garbage heaps. The solutions to the situation are obvious. It is necessary to try to produce as many material goods as needed (overproduction is harmful to the environment), establish the production of easily degradable and self-destructive product packaging, and also develop a waste recycling industry. Preliminary estimate household waste in our landfills shows that already with the help of existing technologies 40% of paper, 17% of solids can be recycled household waste, 8% plastic and 7% food waste.

If you at least sometimes pay attention to environmental problems, then you probably know the damage plastic causes to our planet. This collection contains 20 facts about plastic that will make you think even more about whether it is worth using it en masse

1. It takes about 450 years before plastic begins to decompose. After this, another 50-80 years will pass until it completely decomposes. At the current rate of production of this material, our planet will be completely covered in plastic before its decomposition begins.

2. Taking into account the decomposition period, we can say that not a single piece of plastic produced will even begin to decompose in the next 4 centuries

3. The average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976. Already in 2006, this figure increased to 28.3 gallons and continues to grow rapidly

4. 40% total plastic waste make up plastic bottles

5. One more interesting fact is that 90% of the price you pay for water is the cost of plastic, while water itself costs about 10%

6. One resident of any highly developed country buys an average of 150 bottles of water per year, without paying attention to the alternative

7. 24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles

8. Just 25 recycled bottles are enough to produce a jacket for an adult.

9. Europeans are also not interested in recycling plastic. Currently, only 2.5 percent of Europe's total mass

10. One of the main polluters of the ocean is the fishing industry. throwing out a huge amount plastic waste. About 150 tons end up in the water annually, including packaging, fishing nets, and other debris

11. This garbage causes the death of many sea ​​creatures who mistake garbage for food. The number of animals dying is in the millions. The dumping of garbage also leads to the formation of the Great Pacific Garbage Island, where currents carry all the discarded plastic

12. Over 13 billion plastic bottles are produced worldwide every year

13. A good sign is that over the past few years, plastic recycling in the United States has at least tripled; more than 1,600 enterprises are already involved in recycling

14. However, the percentage of recycled plastic in the US is only 27%, which is still the highest in the world

15. Recycling just one plastic bottle can generate enough energy to power a 60V light bulb for 6 hours.

16. Recycling plastics can save up to 2/3 of the energy needed to make plastics from raw materials

17. 4 out of 5 bottles in the US are made of plastic. In other countries of the world this figure is much higher

18. Research shows that about 90% of consumers reuse plastic bags, as garbage bags or for some other purpose.

19. Storing and shipping water in plastic bottles is the least energy-efficient method, but nevertheless the most popular

20. Some countries have completely banned the use of plastic bottles. Among them are Australia, China, Austria, Bangladesh, Ireland and several other countries

Every day, during the life of one person, about a kilogram of garbage is generated. Every day, tons of household waste accumulate in cities. How long does it take for garbage to decompose? depends on what it was originally, more precisely, whether objects were made or produced from natural or industrial material.

Garbage can be of organic or inorganic origin, and its decomposition period can range from a couple of weeks to decades.

How long does it take for organic waste to completely decompose?

• Organic products natural origin decompose quite quickly: animal droppings turn into valuable fertilizer in just 10 days.
• Small plant remains - fallen leaves, fruits, seeds, dried grass - gradually rot and completely turn into humus within a month, or at least the next year. Therefore, it is better to use all this organic “wealth” in the fall for the benefit of your garden or even flower bed. Large branches take much longer to decompose - up to 10 years.
• Before you throw an eaten banana peel on the ground, you should think carefully: after all, its decomposition period can reach six months.
• Leftover food will be processed by bacteria that cause rotting in a couple of weeks (or even faster).
• It will take about three years for clothes made from cotton, viscose, or linen to completely decompose.
• Products made from natural wool are subject to destruction by microorganisms in a shorter period - about a year.
• Paper waste decomposes into different terms: a regular bus ticket disappears in a month, newspapers and books disappear in 2 years, and waxed paper disappears in at least 5 years.

Do not burn paper and paper together food waste: As a result of such combustion, harmful substances are formed - dioxides.

How long does it take for different types of waste to decompose?

Wood products, like large wood debris, decompose within up to 10 years, but much depends on what kind of treatment the wood was subjected to. If it takes about 4 years for ordinary planed boards to decompose, then for boards coated with varnish or painted oil paint, it will take longer - more than 13 years.

Convenient and widespread packaging for many food products is a jar. It takes about 10 years for an iron can to completely decompose, a tin container takes longer to decompose - up to 90 years, and an aluminum container will take up to 500 years to completely disappear from the face of the earth.

Polyethylene bags, in which most goods are packaged, decompose within 100 to 200 years.

A cigarette butt, or rather a cigarette filter, thrown on the ground will take up to 3 years to disintegrate.

Every housewife uses sponges for washing dishes, the decomposition period of which is about two centuries.

The invention of disposable diapers has made life easier for many young mothers: there is no need for tedious washing of diapers and baby clothes. But few people know that the decomposition period of a used diaper is about 500 years. The same, by the way, applies to feminine sanitary pads. It would be more logical to use for kids and.

Regular chewing gum in warm climatic conditions disappears in 30 years, and in the cold it can survive for hundreds of years.

As you can see, waste decomposition time It has wide range, and you need to know about this, and in some cases you can give things used for their intended purpose a “second life,” for example, to make or for flowers.

And in conclusion, we can recall the statement of the American comedian George Carlin. At one of his speeches, discussing the harm caused to nature by people, he said: “The planet is not going anywhere. We will disappear."

Thinking about environmental problems, it should be understood that we are not saving the earth, but, first of all, ourselves.