How Long Everything Sticks Around

          I wanted to give everyone an idea of how long stuff sticks around the Earth after it's tossed into a landfill or the ocean/lakes. Most of the time we think it'll decompose soon enough, so it'll be fine in a landfill. In most cases, that's not how it works. 

These are the estimated decomposition rates of COMMON MARINE DEBRIS ITEMS. That means this stuff is commonly found in or around the oceans.

An apple core takes around 2 months to decompose.

A foamed buoy takes around 50 years to decompose.

Wool socks can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years to decompose.

A styrofoam (wasn't the world recently having a hissy fit because McDonald's got rid of these?) lasts around 50 years. 

A waxed carton (think milk or juice carton) sticks around for about three months before it starts to decompose.

A newspaper lasts around 6 weeks.

Plastic grocery bags last anywhere from 10-20 years. Plastic grocery bags were one of the worst inventions, I swear.

Cardboard boxes last around two months before decomposition.

Plywood - 1 to 3 years.

A plastic bottle takes around 450 years to decompose. That's why a hanging garden is so useful!! Pack it away and use it again next year, and the next year, and the next...

Photodegradable beverage holders take about six months to decompose. In the meantime, they can do this: 

Disposable diapers (that no one uses correctly anyway) take around 450 years before they start to decompose. Sure, they're convenient (not really, since you're supposed to wash the waste out!), but is it worth it??

Paper towels take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to begin decomposition.

Cigarette butts - 1 to 5 YEARS.

Aluminum cans can take up to 200 years before they begin to decompose. That's why it's better to recycle them! Recycling aluminum cans uses less energy than mining for new resources and it keeps them out of landfills!

A cotton shirt takes roughly 2 to 5 months to begin decomposition.

Glass bottles are undetermined. 

Tin cans take up to 50 years to begin decomposition.

Fishing line takes SIX HUNDRED YEARS to begin decomposition and can cause problems like this: 

Think about recycling and reducing the purchase of things like this, guys.