How long does it take for plastic to decompose in the ground? How long does it take for natural and industrial waste to decompose?
Do you know how many years it takes for plastic, paper, food waste or diapers to decompose, 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 of American photographer Greg Segal, which can be viewed at the link 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 is one of the many types of waste that takes too long to decompose.
As a rule, the decomposition time of plastic products can reach 1 thousand years. At the same time, plastic bags, which we often use in our daily lives, can decompose from 100 to 1 thousand years, and plastic bottles - from 450 years or 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 aluminum cans are recycled in America alone.
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 a natural material - 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 take 6 months to decompose, but apple peels or banana peels will take about one month to decompose. 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 different types of waste take to decompose. But the numbers are not much different. We present them below:
- Cigarette butts - 10-12 years;
- Plastic cup - 50 years;
- Leather shoes - 25-40 years;
- Milk cardboard packaging - 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 deal with this problem is to avoid using products that produce waste and take more than a year to decompose.
Based on materials from thebalance.com
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Humans are the only inhabitants of the Earth who leave behind a colossal amount of waste. The earth is littered with billions of tons of waste, the decomposition process of which greatly harms the environment.
In the West, this problem has long begun to worry environmentalists, and in civilized countries of the world separate waste collection has long been introduced.
For improper sorting or throwing out garbage on sidewalks and in entrances, people are fined.
Even in developed countries, this system took a long time to take root. But now most people cannot even imagine that household waste can simply be thrown into a container or an unauthorized landfill, without sorting, for which the ravines and forests of Russia are “famous.”
Most people don’t even think about how long it takes for garbage to decompose and what irreparable harm it causes to nature. But the decomposition time of waste reaches thousands and millions of years.
By throwing unsorted garbage into a landfill, a person solves his local problem: there is no more garbage in the house. On a human scale, this turns into a serious environmental threat.
Construction Materials
After construction and major renovations, waste remains in huge quantities, and few people care about its disposal. To find out the decomposition time of construction waste in nature, just look at abandoned houses that have not yet been demolished.
Concrete, bricks, metal parts, glass and even boards - all these types of waste take a long time to decompose.
Brick and concrete
The decomposition period of brick and concrete waste is over one hundred years. This is a slow and long process in which the brick and concrete gradually crumble into crumbs.
Iron fittings
Iron fittings, as well as screws, bolts, nails, and other construction parts will rust and begin to crumble no earlier than thirteen years later.
Boards
If stored improperly, boards can rot for decades. Rotten boards harbor many insects and pests, which speed up the decomposition time, but they are not limited to wood waste and move into residential buildings.
Paper waste
Decomposing the paper takes a relatively short amount of time. However, clean paper products are rarely considered waste.
Printed paper is the most commonly discarded waste. Paint contains toxic substances that, if released into the ground, harm the environment.
Many people know that paper is made from trees. But few people remember that by throwing paper waste into a landfill, rather than sending it for recycling, they are directly involved in deforestation, which is necessary to preserve the ecosystem.
Newspapers, magazines, printed products
The decomposition time of thin newsprint lasts from one month to three to four. Thicker magazine paper takes much longer to decompose, a process that can take up to several years.
Cardboard products
Household cardboard packaging, milk, juice and other food cartons, and many other cardboard waste take three to four months to decompose.
Paper
The simplest printer paper will take two years to decompose.
Household waste
Every day, household waste appears in gigantic quantities in all residential buildings and businesses. Most types of this garbage take a very long time to decompose, and the components contained in it heavily pollute the environment.
Old shoes
The decomposition time of old shoes that turn into garbage is influenced by the material they are made from. On average, it will take ten years for one pair of shoes to completely decompose.
Plastic bottles, bags, other plastic products
Plastic itself is a dangerous toxic product.
Without disposal, this garbage will decompose for more than two hundred years, while polluting the soil, water and creating a fire hazard.
Aluminum cans
The decomposition period of aluminum cans is more than five hundred years. At the moment, this type of garbage occupies a leading position on the planet.
Aluminum cans are toxic, and during oxidation, which accompanies the decomposition process, they release harmful substances.
Cans
Cans of stewed meat, condensed milk, sprats and other metal food waste take ten to fifty years to decompose under natural conditions.
Glass
Glass containers are very easily recycled into other glass products, because they are based on environmentally friendly material – sand.
According to some sources, glass waste, which lies in tons in landfills, takes a million years to completely decompose. Other studies claim that glass cannot decompose at all in natural conditions.
Cloth
Clothing made from natural cotton will take the least time to decompose. Garbage made from thin cotton fabric will rot in a week in hot weather.
Woolen items also cannot be called garbage, in the full sense of the word, since the decomposition process lasts about a year, while useful fines get into the soil.
The waste that unwanted synthetic items become is much more dangerous. The process of its decomposition can take years, creating a toxic and fire hazardous environment.
Food waste will take about a month to decompose, while emitting a very pungent odor. By disposing of food waste not in landfills, but in natural areas, people create a serious threat to animals, since spoiled and chemically treated food can cause serious poisoning in wild animals and lead to fatal consequences.
Foil
Chocolate wrappers, chicken, meat and other food packages will take over a hundred years to decompose.
Although the foil is very thin, it is very tightly compressed, which greatly complicates the process of decomposition of debris.
Other types of waste
There are a lot of different types of waste that people produce. It is almost impossible to list the decomposition time of all of them.
Among them, there are particularly dangerous types of waste that require disposal, which are found every day on the streets of Russian cities and regular landfills.
Car batteries
Used car batteries will take over a hundred years to decompose. And although it is much more profitable to hand over this type of garbage for recycling, receiving about five hundred rubles for it, people prefer to simply throw it away.
Lithium batteries
The decomposition time of one battery is more than a hundred years. The greatest harm to the environment is caused not by the long decay time itself, but by the substances that the battery releases during the oxidation process.
They are so dangerous to the environment that many charities encourage people to store these batteries at home and then take them directly from their apartment in large quantities.
Also, many electronics stores offer to return batteries at points of sale to reduce the negative human impact on the environment.
Tires
Rubber is another type of waste that will take at least a hundred years to decompose. When replacing tires at repair points, drivers usually leave the old tires there, and car service owners hand them over for recycling.
Natural waste
Not only does man harm the environment, but the environment also harms man.
Animal droppings
The process of decomposition of animal waste products is fast: from ten to fifteen days. However, in large cities, streets and dog parks become a significant problem.
In addition, animal feces may contain harmful substances that cause various diseases, including in humans.
Another reason for the frequent pollution of cities with unscrupulous public utilities is leaves, branches and seeds of trees, which can take up to four months to decompose.
It’s clean not where they clean, but where they don’t litter.
If every resident of Russia takes responsibility for sorting and sending their own waste for recycling, then the problem of global pollution of urban and natural areas, as well as illegal dumps, will disappear over time.
Every day we see abandoned bottles, leftover food, plastic bags, paper and plastic cups and other garbage on the roads, sidewalks, yards and parks that were simply left on the street.
Sometimes it seems to us that in another day it will be removed and it will begin to decompose in a landfill. But, firstly, not everywhere garbage is removed in a timely manner, and secondly, some garbage can take thousands of years to decompose.
How long does it take for garbage to decompose?
Scientists have already proven that plastic bottles and bags can last hundreds, thousands and even millions of years without decomposing.
Here's a list of the things we throw away and how long it takes for that trash to decompose.
Paper and food waste
2 weeks
Apple cores and other fruit remains.
Even though it takes a relatively short time to decompose, leftover food on the ground can attract unwanted "friends" such as rats.
About 1 month
Paper napkins, paper bags, newspapers, paper towels.
The time it takes for these items to decompose can vary greatly, as it depends on how you disposed of this type of waste.
6 weeks
Cereal boxes, paper bags, banana peels.
Banana peels may take longer to decompose if the weather is cooler. Since the peel is designed to preserve the freshness of the fruit, it contains a lot of cellulose - the same material that cellophane bags are made from.
Some conservationists warn that the peels of some fruits, including banana peels, can take several months to decompose. Even if a product is natural, this does not mean that it decomposes quickly.
2 to 3 months
Cardboard packaging for milk and juices and other types of cardboard.
The decomposition time of cardboard primarily depends on its thickness. It is worth noting that some cardboard packaging may contain chemicals that significantly slow down the decomposition process.
6 months
Cotton clothes and paper books.
Of all types of fabrics, cotton decomposes the fastest, as it is natural. If the cotton fabric thrown into the landfill is quite thin, then in warm weather it can decompose in as little as a week.
1 year
Woolen clothes (sweaters, socks).
Wool is a natural product and can decompose relatively quickly. Moreover, when wool decomposes, it releases elements beneficial to the soil, such as keratins. This product cannot be completely considered garbage, as it does not cause long-term harm to the environment.
2 years
Orange peels, plywood, cigarette butts (although some studies indicate that cigarette butts can take more than 10 years to decompose).
Up to 5 years
Heavy wool clothing, such as a coat or overcoat.
Plastic trash
Up to 20 years
Plastic bags. But research shows that in some cases plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to decompose.
Many new plastic bags are designed to degrade quickly when exposed to direct sunlight.
Yet most plastic bags are made from high-density polyethylene. Microorganisms in the soil do not perceive the chemicals that make up the bag as food, and therefore they do not participate in its decomposition.
30-40 years
Products containing nylon: tights, windbreakers, carpets, diapers. Some scientists believe that such products can take up to 500 years to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.
Even though diapers are quite convenient, they are also quite toxic, even if you haven't used them yet. They are treated with a variety of chemicals such as toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and dipentene, as well as a chemical called dioxin, which is a highly toxic carcinogen.
Metal debris, rubber, leather
50 years
Tin cans, car tires, Styrofoam cups, leather.
Leather can be chemically treated (as is the case with fashion items) and can take much longer to decompose.
The thick leather used to make shoes can take 80 years to decompose.
Decomposition of polyethylene
From 70 to 80 years
Rustling plastic bags (from chips and packaging, for example).
Despite the fact that a person eats the contents of a bag of chips very quickly, the bags themselves take quite a long time to decompose. For example, one US resident found an empty bag of chips on a beach in Devon, dated 1967, but the bag itself looked like it had been thrown away last week.
About 100 years
Products made of polyethylene.
Of course, decomposition time depends on the density and structure of the product. For example, regular plastic bags from the store can take about 100 years to decompose.
Also in the category of things that can decompose for more than a century include plastic bottles and various plastic containers and bowls.
It is worth noting that small polyethylene parts can pose a choking hazard to animals.
Aluminum decomposition
About 200 years
Aluminum cans (for beer or soda, for example).
In this case, everything also depends on the density of the material and its structure. In the best case, such objects take 200 years to decompose, but this process can drag on for half a millennium.
It is worth noting that, like plastic products, such items are dangerous for small animals that can climb into an empty jar and get stuck in it.
These cans can be recycled many times and this process requires much less energy than creating a new can. Using the same amount of energy, you can make 20 recycled cans or 1 new aluminum can.
Recycling aluminum cans
Plastic decomposition
What happens to the body in the coffin after it is buried? This question is of interest not only to those who are interested in mysticism and anatomy. Almost every person on the planet often thinks about this. A large number of myths and interesting facts that few people know are associated with the burial process and the further development of the body. In our article you can find information that will allow you to learn more about what happens to the corpse throughout the time it is underground and above it.
General information about processes
Death is a natural process that, unfortunately, cannot yet be prevented. Today, how the body decomposes in a coffin is known only to those who have a medical education. However, detailed information about this process is also of interest to many curious people. It is worth noting that various processes occur in a corpse immediately after death. These include temperature changes and oxygen deprivation. Already a few minutes after death, organs and cells begin to deteriorate.
Many people torment themselves with the thought of what happens in the coffin with the body. Decomposition, depending on many factors, can proceed in completely different ways. There are more than five processes that, due to certain circumstances, occur in a particular body. Surprisingly, the cadaverous smell is often artificially created by specialized organizations. This is necessary for training detection dogs.
Rotting and mummification
In our article you can find detailed information about what happens in a coffin with a human body after death. As we said earlier, there are more than five processes that can take place in a given corpse, depending on a wide variety of factors. The most well-known forms of body development after burial are rotting and mummification. Almost everyone has heard about these processes.
Rotting is a labor-intensive process that occurs in the body. As a rule, it begins on the third day after death. Simultaneously with rotting, the formation of a whole list of gases begins. These include hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and many others. It is for this reason that the corpse gives off an unpleasant odor. Depending on the time of year, the body may decompose slowly or quickly. At air temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, rotting of a corpse occurs in the shortest possible time. If the body was not buried, its decomposition time on the surface of the earth is 3-4 months. When the rotting process comes to an end, only the bones remain from the corpse, and everything else turns into a mushy mass and eventually disappears completely. It is worth noting that everything that is released at this stage is absorbed by the soil. Thanks to this, it becomes unusually fertile.
What happens to a body in a coffin after death if it undergoes mummification? With this process, the corpse dries out completely. An interesting fact is that during mummification, the initial weight of the body decreases tenfold. As a rule, this process takes place in those corpses that have been in conditions of low humidity for a long time. Such places include an attic or, for example, sandy soil. A mummified corpse can be preserved for quite a long time.
There are only a small number of people who know what happens in a coffin with a human body after death. Nevertheless, this process interests many. In our article you can find out more detailed information about how the body develops after death.
Peat tanning and fat wax formation
The process of fat wax formation occurs if the corpse is buried in wet soil or has been in water for a long time. As a result, the body is covered with a white greasy layer, which has a specific and unpleasant odor. Often this process is also called saponification.
Not everyone knows what happens to a person’s body after death in a coffin after 2 months if he is buried in excessively wet soil. After 60 days, the corpse begins to crumble and has a white-yellow tint. If a person’s body is buried in peat soil or located in a swamp, the skin becomes dense and rough. It is worth noting that when tanned, the corpse acquires a brown tint, and the size of the internal organs is significantly reduced. Over time, the bones become soft and resemble cartilage in consistency. By the way, peat tanning can also occur due to the influence of certain factors. These include the temperature of the water and the presence of various microelements and chemicals in it.
The impact of living organisms on a human corpse
In addition to all the above factors, the human body can be destroyed by exposure to animals, insects and birds. Most likely, the body of the deceased is destroyed by fly larvae. Surprisingly, they are capable of completely destroying a corpse in just two months.
Other living organisms that consume the body of a deceased person are ants, cockroaches and carrion eaters. Termites are capable of turning a body into a skeleton in two months. It is no secret that in addition to insects, the human body can be eaten by dogs, wolves, foxes and other predatory animals. In a pond, the corpse is destroyed by fish, beetles, crayfish and other aquatic inhabitants.
Explosive coffins
Not everyone knows what happens to the person in the coffin. As we said earlier, some time after burial, various changes begin to occur with the body. Within a few hours, the corpse begins to release substances, including various gases. If the coffin was not buried, but was placed in a crypt, then it may explode. Many cases have been recorded when relatives came to visit the deceased, and he detonated. However, this can only happen if the coffin is hermetically sealed and not placed in the ground. We strongly recommend that you be careful when visiting the crypts.
Self-destruction
What happens to the body in the coffin after death some time later? This question is asked not only by doctors and criminologists, but also by ordinary people. Surprisingly, over a period of time the body absorbs itself. The thing is that in any organism there are millions of a wide variety of bacteria that do not cause any harm during life. First of all, after death, they completely destroy the brain and liver. This is due to the fact that these organs contain the largest amount of water. After this, the bacteria gradually destroy everything else. It is this process that is associated with the change in color of the skin of the deceased. Once the corpse enters the rigor stage, it becomes completely filled with bacteria. The time and process of self-destruction may differ depending on the set of microbes in a particular organism.
It is worth noting that some bacteria can only be present in the body at a certain stage of decomposition and putrefaction. Surprisingly, under the influence of microorganisms, the tissues of the deceased turn into gases, salts and various substances. By the way, all these microelements have a beneficial effect on the composition of the soil.
Larvae
In our article you can find out what happens to the body in the coffin after exposure to the larvae. As we said earlier, in addition to bacteria and other microorganisms, tissues and internal organs are also consumed by insects, animals and birds.
After the self-destruction stage ends, the larvae begin to destroy the corpse. Surprisingly, a female fly is capable of laying about 250 eggs at a time. It is no secret that the body of the deceased emits a pungent and unpleasant odor. It attracts insects that lay large numbers of eggs on the body. Within a day they turn into larvae. Surprisingly, just three flies can devour a corpse with the same speed as a tiger or lion.
The location of certain soil elements or certain microorganisms in the body allows forensic scientists to find out where a person died or was killed. They also claim that in the near future it is the bacterial set of a corpse that may become a new “weapon” for solving many crimes.
Soul of man
Some people think they know what happens to the body in the coffin. They claim that after some time the soul leaves the flesh of the deceased, and when dying, a person sees everything that the living do not see. They also believe that the first three days after death are the most difficult for the deceased. The thing is that for 72 hours the soul is still near the body and is trying to return back. She leaves as soon as she sees the face and body change. After this happens, the soul rushes from home to grave for seven days. In addition, she mourns her body.
At the end of seven days the soul goes to a place of rest. After this, she only occasionally lowers herself to the ground to look at her body. Some people believe that they know what happens to the body and soul in the coffin. However, it is impossible to prove that the spirit actually leaves the flesh.
Diamond production
It is quite difficult to bear the death of a loved one. It is even difficult for some to imagine what happens in the coffin with the body. Often people cremate their deceased relatives or even build a crypt for them right in the yard. Recently, a technology invented by American specialists has been gaining particular popularity. Surprisingly, they create diamonds from the ashes and hair of a deceased person. American experts believe that this is an excellent way to preserve the memory of the deceased. Today, similar technology is used all over the world. As we said earlier, diamonds can also be made from the hair of the deceased. Today this procedure is extremely popular. Few people know, but just recently a company that makes such jewelry was ordered to make diamonds from Michael Jackson’s hair.
It is worth noting that gems can be created from dust due to the fact that it contains carbon dioxide. The cost of such a service in America is 30 thousand dollars. Many believe that one should not torment oneself with the thought of what happens in the coffin with the body. They argue that it is better to preserve only good memories of the deceased.
Love after death
Everyone deals with the death of a loved one completely differently. There are many cases where people did not bury the deceased, but left him in their house, hiding it. It is known that the man’s wife died, but he did not want to bury her body because he could not let her go because of his great love. Surprisingly, he ordered a transparent coffin and placed his beloved in it, after pouring a special liquid into it. He then built a coffee table out of the coffin.
Another case of strange treatment of a corpse occurred in America. There the woman decided to make a stuffed animal of her husband. She set aside an entire room in the basement for the corpse. There she placed furniture and her husband’s favorite things. She sat the corpse on a chair. The woman often visited him, told him how her day went and asked for advice.
There used to be a kind of tradition. If a person did not find a partner during his lifetime, then he was married after death. It was believed that if this is not done, the soul of the deceased will not find a place for itself and will wander forever.
This tradition existed in Russia as well. If a girl died unmarried, she was dressed in a wedding dress and a guy was chosen to follow the coffin to burial. It was believed that thanks to this the soul would find peace. It is worth noting that in some localities this tradition is still popular today.
Necrophilia was common in ancient Egypt. This is not accidental, because the Egyptians believed the myths according to which she impregnated herself with the help of the corpse of Osiris.
Let's sum it up
Death is a natural process. A large number of myths, guesses and interesting facts are associated with it. It's no secret that coping with the loss of a loved one is quite difficult. Because of this, some become depressed and do not make contact with society. There are many cases where people begin to suffer from a mental disorder. As a rule, they do not bury their relatives, but leave them in the house, hiding it from neighbors and friends. In our article you found out what happens to the body in the coffin. The photos that we have selected will allow you to find out what happens to a person after death.
Have you ever wondered how quickly the environment will turn a plastic bottle, an old tire or a banana peel into dust? The problem of household waste disposal is not limited to the fact that unscrupulous people throw out garbage in undesignated places, including during outdoor recreation. Those household wastes that are collected centrally and sent to landfills without sorting cause no less harm to the planet.
It will take hundreds of years before mountains of garbage covered with soil will no longer pose a danger to the environment. We suggest you see how long it will take for the generated garbage to become part of nature.
Food waste
This category includes the most rapidly decomposing waste. Leftover food products rot under the influence of microorganisms within 1 month. The exception is orange peel: it takes much longer for the environment to process it - from 4 to 6 months.
Paper and printed matter
Regular paper and cardboard decompose in 1-2 months, but books or printed materials can take up to two years. The process of recycling beautiful glossy magazines takes the longest: nature will spend about 5 years to destroy them.
Clothes and shoes
Remains of clothing made from cotton, linen, bamboo fiber or viscose will be completely recycled under the influence of moisture and microorganisms in 3 years. At the same time, wool products are less stable and will take no more than 1 year to decompose. But it takes about 50 years to recycle clothes made from synthetic materials and old shoes.
Wood and boards
Wood thrown into a landfill decomposes in about 3-10 years, but wooden products coated with paints and varnishes can rot for up to 13 years.
Chewing gum
Chewing gum thrown on the ground will disappear only after 30 years. Moreover, only territories with a warm tropical climate, where decomposition processes last all year round, fit into this optimistic period.
Waste batteries
Batteries and accumulators for household appliances take about 100 years to decompose in nature.
Plastic bags
How quickly they entered our daily life, making it more comfortable and easier. Meanwhile, the decomposition time of a plastic bag cannot be compared with its short service life: it will take from 30 to 200 years.
Plastic bottles
Another scourge of modern civilization. The main problem with recycling plastic is that it is several times cheaper to produce a new batch of bottles than to recycle them. But plastic bottles take from 450 to 1000 years to decompose, depending on the climate and the composition of the plastic.
Aluminum cans
Aluminum is a cheap and accessible material, which is also used in the manufacture of disposable beverage containers. Unfortunately, aluminum cans will remain a part of the environment for a long time: it will take 80 to 500 years for them to disappear.
Iron cans
It will take about 10 years for used cans to completely decompose.
Rubber tires
Waste tires are an integral part of the life of any motorist. It takes nature up to 100 years to process this type of waste.
Dish sponges
This convenient household item is found in every home. But we pay too high a price for convenience: foam sponges take about 200 years to decompose.
Glass
Despite the fact that glass items are made from natural material, its decomposition period in nature can exceed 1000 years. At the same time, experts believe that glass does not completely decompose.
