When it is put into landfills, will it ever disintergrate? I want REAL ANSWERS please.. and could you back it up with information?
2006-10-03 14:36:50 · 9 answers · asked by Kelly 2 in Environment
"A "biodegradable" product has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment."
Here's how long it takes for some commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered about as litter:
Cotton rags -- 1 to 5 months
Paper -- 2 to 5 months
Rope -- 3-14 months
Orange peels -- 6 months
Wool socks -- 1 to 5 years
Cigarette butts -- 1 to 12 years
Plastic coated paper milk cartons -- 5 years
Leather shoes -- 25 to 40 years
Nylon fabric -- 30 to 40 years
Tin cans -- 50 to 100 years
Aluminum cans -- 80 to 100 years
Plastic 6-pack holder rings -- 450 years
Glass bottles -- 1 million years
Plastic bottles -- Forever
2006-10-03 18:06:00 · answer #1 · answered by wdmc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've had a number of plastic items (plastic tarp, Rubbermaid plastic bin, lawn furniture, and so on) that were left outside in the Sun and elements for several years deteriorate very badly. I don't know if you would call it disintegration but it definitely was severe deterioration. Maybe being in a landfill isn't as hard on plastic as intense UV rays over an extended period of time?
2006-10-03 22:18:24 · answer #2 · answered by cchew4 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes plastic is made up of hydrocarbons in various forms. Examples of a naturally occuring hydrocarbons are oil, coal, and natural gas. This is were plastics originally came from (and most still do).
Most plastics use other chemicals such as sulfur, etc to stabilize them from breaking down in our environment.
So yes all plastic breakdown over time, but it may take a hundred thousand years for it to occur.
Enviromentally friendly plastics have been designed to break down much faster, and/or for more economical recyling back into plastic products.
2006-10-03 22:57:16 · answer #3 · answered by David T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can, but not completely. Starch can be mixed with plastic to make it degrade easier, but it doesn't lead to the complete breakdown of the plastic. Biodegradable plastics, however, have carbon locked up in them and is released as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when they degrade.
2006-10-03 21:55:10 · answer #4 · answered by arkguy20 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I think that it has a HALF-life of 1000 years. And glass has a half-life of 500 years. These figures may not be acurate, but, the point being, IT TAKES A LONG time for it to BEGIN decaying.
RECYCLE glass and plastic!!!
2006-10-03 21:44:43 · answer #5 · answered by thewordofgodisjesus 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
plastic will slowly change into CO2, hydrogen, carbon, calcium and various other compounds but this happens so slowly that it might as not be happening at all. it may take almost a millenium to fully disintegrate.
Hope that helps
2006-10-03 21:46:48 · answer #6 · answered by sharkie90000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most plastic does not disintegrate.
2006-10-03 21:43:45 · answer #7 · answered by i.am.me 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think so. well i know it takes a long time to deconpose. (more than a century some times!)
2006-10-03 21:45:16 · answer #8 · answered by Collarbone Kiss 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmm..from what i know its not bio-degradable..but i could be wrong...
2006-10-03 21:44:22 · answer #9 · answered by Moony 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋