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Back
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Soda can
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Decomposition time: 200-500 years- aluminum cans contain plastic lining that prevents the contained liquid from corroding the can.
- The inside coating and outside coating makes the can more durable.
- Aluminum cans are easily recycled back into raw aluminum by burning them in a furnace where the toxins are burnt and fumes are filtered.
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Aluminum foil
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Decomposition time: ~400 years- Aluminum foil is 100% recyclable, but it is difficult to find recycling facilities that accept aluminum foil because it is generally contaminated with food.
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Banana peel
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Decomposition time: 3-4 weeks- A banana peel decomposing in a landfill releases methane gas because it doesn’t receive oxygen vs. a peel decomposing in a compost, which receives oxygen and releases CO2.
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Glass
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Decomposition time: 1 million years- Glass is composed of silica sand.
- Glass can change in appearance after it is buried, with chemical reactions between the surrounding soil and the glass, but doesn’t weaken the glass or affect its decomposition rate.
- Glass can be recycled indefinitely without loss of strength.
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Leather shoes
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Decomposition time: 40-50 years- Since leather products are tanned and put through several chemical processes to preserve the material, decomposition is slow.
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Nylon fabric
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Decomposition time: 30-40 years- Most nylons break down in fire and form hazardous smoke, and toxic fumes or ash
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Orange peel
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Decomposition time: 6 months- 2 years- Orange peels are great natural insect repellants for compost.
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Paper bag
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Decomposition time: 1 month- Based on volume, paper is the largest element in American landfills.
- When temperatures are freezing, paper won’t decompose.
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Paper cup
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Decomposition time: 20 years- Most paper cups are coated with plastic or wax, therefore composting and recycling paper cups is uncommon because of the difficulty in separating the polyethylene required in the recycling process.
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Plastic bag
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Decomposition time: 20-1,000 years- Plastic bags do not readily break down in the environment.
- Plastic bags photodegrade, a process by which the plastic breaks down into smaller toxic parts.
- Most recycling centers do not recycle plastic bags because they are difficult to recycle into new material.
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Plastic bottle
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Decomposition time: 450-1,000 years- Bottles made with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) will never biodegrade.
- Since plastic is a synthetic material and relatively new, very few bacteria are able to biodegrade the plastic polymers into smaller molecules.
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Plastic soda can rings
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Decomposition time: 450 years- Plastic soda can rings are “photodegradable”- they degrade, or break down, when exposed to light.
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Plastic straws
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Decomposition time: 200-500 years- Plastic straws do not biodegrade, they simply photodegrade into smaller pieces that are easily ingested by animals and passed throughout the food chain.
- Only a very small percentage of recycled plastic straws will actually be recycled.
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Styrofoam
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Decomposition time: 500 years-forever- Styrofoam is the primary source of urban litter and the main pollutant of oceans, bays, and other U.S. water sources.
- Styrofoam is resistant to photodegradation.
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Soup can
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Decomposition time: 50-100 years- Soup cans are primarily made of steel with a thin layer of tin coating on their insides, stopping the can from corroding and keeping the soup fresh.
- Many modern cans are lined with bisphenol-A (BPA) instead.
- Steel from cans and other sources is the most recycled packaging material, but BPA can prevent these cans from being recycled.
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