How many different types of garbage decompose (19 photos). Terms of decomposition of garbage on the ground How long does paper decompose

I have long wanted to "launch" this topic on the blog. It concerns the problem of garbage and pollution of our planet. Well, who does not observe this terrible picture of pollution of cities and villages, especially in last decade. Of course, it is connected with the activities of mankind and the development of production technologies. They have learned to produce, but not to destroy the waste of this production. This topic is especially relevant for the countries of the so-called third world and ... CIS countries.

It is now sad and mournful to look at everything that is happening related to littering and pollution: how will future generations live on this planet, turned into a garbage dump?

As a result of the development of technologies in the field of consumption, the materials from which objects are made take a very long time to self-destruct (decompose) and there are more and more of them. This has to be dealt with somehow. And immediately!

And now, for reference:

examples of types of materials and products that can pollute the environment until they are completely decomposed

on the rise, starting with examples where the product decomposes faster and ends with the longest self-destructing.

1. Animal waste products

Simply put, litter from animals living in cities and in which a person is somehow involved in life.

The term of "self-destruction" is not long - 10-15 days, but this does not beg the problematic issue. Why - it is clear without explanation :).

2. Food waste

Decomposition time is about a month. But the smell from decomposition products is usually very unpleasant.

3. Newsprint

Decomposes within one to three months. Depending on the weather conditions and other environmental reasons. However, as for most other types of garbage.

4. Leaves, twigs and seeds - "tree-handicraft garbage"

garbage with which the janitors “work” and the participants of subbotniks are actively fighting 🙂

The decay period is three to four months.

5. Cardboard and boxes from it

Decomposes within three months. And even more.

6. Office paper

Office ("writing") paper decomposes longer than newsprint and cardboard: two years.

7. Building boards

The decomposition period reaches ten years.

8. Tin cans

In a normal environment, they decompose within ten years.

9. Old shoes

thrown into a landfill is destroyed in about 10 years.

10. Iron products

They turn into iron oxide (i.e. decompose) in 10-20 years. Depending on the invoice.

11. Car batteries

Destroyed in about 100 years.

12. Foil

And it will take more than 100 years for its collapse ...

13. Electric batteries

For some reason, they "live" before decomposition, longer than batteries - about 110 years.

14. Rubber tires

They can only decompose within 120-140 years.

15. Plastic bottles

This very common product of the creation of mankind over the past 30 years and its high technology brings many benefits. But alas, such bottles decompose for a very long time: whole 200 years!

16. Aluminum cans

A terrible thing, I tell you. Aluminum decomposes during 500 years. It is understandable - non-ferrous metal. Yes, that's just in vain they began to use it for domestic purposes, probably. It’s good that homeless people collect them and hand them over to scrap metal collection points.

17. Glass

Oh, this is glass... A product that mankind invented a long time ago and it makes no sense to talk about its benefits and significance for people. One thing is unpleasant: of all the products created using the technology of processing silicon into this transparent liquid and solid under normal conditions, it is very difficult to “evaporate”. Glass breaks longer than any other household products - over 1000 years! Citizens, do not scatter glass in places where people and other fauna and flora live! Take care of nature and our planet!

Ecology

Every day we see abandoned bottles, food leftovers, plastic bags, paper and plastic cups, and other trash that was just left on the street.

Sometimes it seems to us that in another day it will be removed, and in the landfill it will begin to decompose.

But, firstly, not everywhere the garbage is removed in a timely manner, and secondly, some garbage can decompose for thousands of years.

How long does garbage take to decompose?

Scientists have already proven that plastic bottles and packages can lie for hundreds, thousands and even millions of years and not decompose.

Here is a list of the things we throw away and how long it takes for that garbage to decompose.

Paper and food waste

2 weeks

Apple cores and other fruit leftovers.

Although this is a fairly 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 these things to decompose can vary greatly, as it depends on how you got rid of that type of trash.

6 weeks

Cereal boxes, paper bags, banana peels.

Banana peel can decompose in more than long term if the weather is cooler. Since the peel is designed to keep the fruit fresh, it is high in cellulose, the same material that plastic bags are made from.

Some conservationists warn that the skins of some fruits, including banana peels, can take months to decompose. Even if the 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 the cardboard primarily depends on its thickness. It is worth noting that some cartons 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 because it is natural. If the cotton fabric thrown into the landfill is rather thin, then in warm weather it can decompose in just a week.

1 year

Woolen clothes (sweaters, socks).

Wool is a natural product and can decompose relatively quickly. What's more, as wool decomposes, it releases soil-friendly elements such as keratins. This product cannot be called completely garbage, as it does not cause long-term harm. environment.

2 years

Orange peel, plywood, cigarette butts (although some studies indicate that cigarette butts can take over 10 years to decompose).

Up to 5 years

Heavy clothing made of wool, such as a coat or overcoat.

plastic trash

Up to 20 years old

Plastic bags. But studies show 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.

However, most plastic bags are made from high-density polyethylene. Microorganisms in the ground do not perceive the chemicals that make up the bag as food, and therefore they do not participate in its decomposition.

30-40 years old

Products containing nylon: bodysuits, windbreakers, carpets, diapers. Some scientists believe that such goods can take up to 500 years to decompose, depending on environmental conditions.

While diapers are quite comfortable, they are also quite toxic, even if you haven't used them yet. They are processed 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

Cans, car tires, foam cups, leather.

The skin may be chemically treated (as in the case of the elements fashion clothes) and can take much longer to decompose.

The thick leather used to make shoes can take up to 80 years to decompose.

Decomposition of polyethylene

70 to 80 years old

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 decompose for a long time. For example, one US resident found an empty bag of crisps on a Devon beach, dated 1967, but the bag itself looked like it had been thrown away last week.

About 100 years

Polyethylene products.

Of course, the decomposition time depends on the density and structure of the goods. For example, ordinary plastic shopping bags can take up to 100 years to decompose.

It is worth noting that small parts made of polyethylene can be dangerous for animals that can choke on them.

Aluminum decomposition

About 200 years

Aluminum cans (from 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 decompose for 200 years, 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.

Such 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

500 years

Plastic bottles.

In general, petrochemical products such as plastic bottles never completely decompose, and chemical elements just stay in the ground.

Waste recycling

Most plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, which is almost impossible to break down in any amount of time. This means that people have to recycle them, and some countries are actively doing this, creating synthetic fibers that are used to make clothes, carpets and other things.

Clothes made from plastic bottles

glass decomposition

1 to 2 million years

Glass jars and bottles

Goods made of glass can even be stored forever, because glass, created in lava flows millions of years ago, is still there.

Basically, glass consists of quartz, or rather quartz sand (SiO2) - one of the most stable and durable minerals on our planet.

The only problem with glass is that it shatters and the pieces become dangerous to animals, who might mistake them for food.

Long-term waste decomposition

Over 2 million years

Batteries

Although the thin metal shell of the batteries decomposes relatively quickly, the toxic chemicals inside (zinc chloride, lead, mercury, cadmium) soak into the ground.

Therefore, batteries should not just be thrown away, but recycled.

Battery recycling in Russia

Mother Earth and lamenting about this, it is worth mentioning one of the main reasons for the lurking danger - a long-term, in most cases accompanied by a release toxic substances. Let's jump ahead a bit and see what awaits our descendants who have decided to explore the soil profiles of urban horizons.

We remember that in nature, therefore, we will not find garbage remains of natural origin (vegetable or animal), because they decompose the fastest.

So, animal droppings(by the way, valuable) decomposes in a maximum of 10 days.

But fallen leaves, small twigs, will gradually rot, turning into a humus mass in a month or a whole season.

large branches take longer to decompose, but after a maximum of 10 years, there will be no trace left of them.

banana peel- neither less nor more, and the decomposition period is up to 6 months, so throw it under the nearest bush, with the thought: “It will rot soon!” not worth it.

The ubiquitous microorganisms are processed on average in a few weeks.

But remains of bones can lie for 5 or 6 years, but, in general, no more than 8.

clothing from decomposes in 2-3 years, while not causing damage to the environment, which cannot be said about synthetic materials the period of decomposition of which is up to 40 years.

But woolen products much more because it takes only a year to “digest” them.

Decomposition timeline paper differ. So, a discarded trolleybus ticket will completely disappear from the face of the Earth in just a month. decomposes in 2-3 years, and wax paper - as much as 5 years. By the way, it is strictly forbidden to burn paper together with food products, since as a result, dioxides can be formed.

Wooden crafts decompose for up to 10 years. However, the degree of wood processing plays a significant role in this process. So if ordinary boards decompose in 4 years, then covered with a layer of paint- already for 13.

The bank is one of the most popular. Do you know how long it takes for these containers, often disposable, to decay? Iron banks up to 10 years required tin- about 90, but aluminum- about 500. Only 5 centuries, nothing compared to eternity :).

What else to remember? Oh yes. Ubiquitous polyethylene. So, the decomposition time of products from this material depends on the initial density and structure. For example, ordinary thin plastic bags, in which sellers love to wrap everything so much, decompose for 100-200 years. The company they are "partners" - and containers.

A small filter carelessly thrown away cigarette butt b will slowly give up their positions, decomposing for more than 3 years.

The usual ones, which recommend housewives to change at least once a week due to the development of microorganisms, after seven days of hard work go to a well-deserved rest. True, it comes only within the next 200 years.

Do you know how many years plastic, paper, food waste or diapers decompose, without which it is difficult for a young mother to imagine life today? Look at these waste decomposition times and you will understand why we need to not only learn, but also reduce the consumption of products that produce waste.

Let's see how long it takes for different types of garbage to decompose. Of course, it should also be taken into account that the time of waste decomposition may depend on the conditions at the landfills.

We also recall the shocking photo project by American photographer Greg Segal, which can be viewed here to see how much waste one family produces per week.

How long does plastic 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 are one of the many types of waste that take too long to decompose.

As a rule, the terms of decomposition of plastic products can reach 1 thousand years. At the same time, plastic bags, which we often use in our daily life, can decompose from 100 to 1 thousand years, and plastic bottles - from 450 years or more.

How long does a diaper decompose

How long does it take for an aluminum can to decompose?

Every minute, every day in America alone, more than 120,000 aluminum cans.

But, at the same time, so many aluminum cans are thrown out there in three months that would be enough to restore the entire American air fleet.

It will take 80-200 years for aluminum cans to decompose.

How long does glass decompose

As a rule, glass is very easy to recycle, mainly because it is made from natural material- from 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 at all in nature.

How long does paper decompose

As a rule, the time for which paper decomposes is estimated at 2-6 weeks. But if we recycle waste paper, then we not only save a lot of space in landfills, but also save trees from being cut down.

How long does food waste decompose?

By weight, food waste is the largest waste item in the world. American landfills. Time required for decomposition food waste depends on the type of food.

For example, orange peels will decompose in 6 months, while apple peels or banana peels will decompose in about one month. This is why sorting waste is so important.

How long does it take to decompose other types of garbage

Different sources give different information about how long they take. different types garbage. But the numbers don't differ much. We present them below:

Cigarette butts - 10-12 years;
Plastic cup - 50 years;
Leather shoes - 25-40 years;
Milk carton - 5 years;
Plywood - 1-3 years;
Painted boards - 13 years;
Cotton gloves - 3 months;
Cardboard - 2 months;
Styrofoam - 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);
Wool clothes 1-5 years.

The increase in waste is a serious problem for mankind. The best way to cope with this problem is to avoid using products that produce waste and take more than a year to decompose.

Sourced from thebalance.com

Answer #1 . The stele does not rot, rotting is a process of destruction caused either by the action of an oxidizing agent or by the action of microorganisms, but since the absolute is not edible, microorganisms do not eat it. The basis of glass is silicon oxide, and oxide, as you know, cannot burn. In addition, this oxide is quite stable and does not decompose in nature, that is, it can only crumble to the smallest particles of sand and it will take millions of years for a bottle lying in the ground. if the bottle is exposed to external conditions, the number of millions is reduced.

Answer #2 . Depending on the main glass-forming substance used, glasses are oxide, fluoride, sulfide, etc.

Glass is a mixture of oxides SiO2, Na2O and CaO. And what will it decompose into? On metals and oxygen? The main content is SiO2,
The enthalpy of formation is as much as -910.9 kJ/mol. That is, it will never decompose itself, it is not energetically beneficial for it to decompose. In addition, this is a huge value, it decomposes by ordinary influences, in order to decompose, you need to take this energy from somewhere and upload it into the glass.
The energy is almost 10 electron volts per molecule. In nature, such energy is only in cosmic rays.
but how many of those rays.

Few definitions

Glass- substance and material, one of the most ancient and, due to the variety of its properties, universal in human practice. Physical and chemical - inorganic matter, solid, structurally - amorphous, isotropic; all types of glass during formation are converted into state of aggregation– from extreme viscosity liquid to the so-called glassy – in the process of cooling at a rate sufficient to prevent the crystallization of melts obtained by melting raw materials. The glass melting temperature, from 300 to 2500 °C, is determined by the components of these glass-forming melts. The title of this material different languages has a different etymology. The term "glass structure" implies a description of two closely related, but often considered independently aspects - the geometry of the mutual arrangement of atoms and ions that make up the glass and the nature of the chemical bonds between the particles that form it. Glass is an inorganic isotropic substance, a material known and used since ancient times. The main disadvantage of conventional glass is fragility.