How Long Does It Take For A (Blank) To Decompose?

Posted Apr 28th 2006 1:11PM by Willy Volk
Filed under: Clubs, Events, Media, Organizations, Flora & Fauna, Beginners, Boat, Atlantic

aluminum can Tomorrow morning, I'm going on a reef sweep with the Palm Beach Hammerheads, a local dive club dedicated to maintaining and protecting the local beaches, reefs, and ocean. We're meeting at 7:30, and we'll be making two morning dives to clean the reefs of the debris that has been thrown, dropped, or swept into the ocean. I've never been on a reef sweep before, and I'm excited to participate. I'm also anxious to hit the water for a good cause! I'll try to take some pictures and post them this weekend.

In the spirit of cleaning the reefs, I have a short quiz for you. It tests your knowledge of how quickly (or slowly) various items decompose. See how much you know. Answers are posted below the jump.

An apple core:

a. 14 days

b. 30 days

c. 60 days

Styrofoam cup:

a. 35 years

b. 50 years

c. 100 years

Aluminum can:

a. 50 years

b. 100 years

c. 200 years

Plastic bottle:

a. 200 years

b. 300 years

c. 450 years

Monofilament fishing line:

a. 350 years

b. 600 years

c. 750 years

[Adapted from some material from Ocean Watch, who I met at OceanFest 2006!]

C -- An apple core takes 2 moths to decompose.
B -- A styrofoam cup takes 50 years to decompose.
C -- An aluminum can takes 200 years to decompose.
C -- A plastic bottle takes 450 years to decompose.
B -- Monofilament line takes 600 years to decompose...plus it kills thousands of marine animals each day.

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. With a bit more notice, I would have offered to come down from Orlando and help...

Posted at 1:44PM on Apr 28th 2006 by Ron Scharf

2. I only decided to go recently. Next time, though, I'll try to make an announcement in advance. Thanks, Ron!

Posted at 2:06PM on Apr 28th 2006 by Willy

3. I need more information on how long things decompose!

Posted at 4:10PM on Jun 18th 2007 by Ivana

4. I need to know how long it takes for an apple to decompose. Can you help me? =]

Posted at 7:05PM on Oct 3rd 2007 by Mika

5. I need to know how long it takes for plastic bags, plastic toys and any other kinds of plastics to decompose? Can you help me?

Posted at 10:55AM on Oct 31st 2007 by Stephanie

6. I would like to know how long it takes a banana peel, a plastic fork, a shoe, and a sock to decompose. I would also like to know if there are any books or other websites where I might find other information like this. Thank you!

Posted at 6:31PM on Dec 14th 2007 by tess

7. you should add how long dors it take a banana to decompose.

Posted at 3:44PM on Feb 27th 2008 by Monica

8. i think this is dumb its gonna die anyways!
this life rox so there.

Posted at 11:15AM on Apr 17th 2008 by tori

9. This stuff is great!!!!! But did you know a recyled glass bottle can power a 1000 watt for 1 Hr. or run the tv for 30 min. or run a computer for 20 min ? Please and this to your site. show the world how lazy it is.

Posted at 7:40AM on Apr 25th 2008 by Molle

10. Just so you know some of your information is incorrect.Meaning what you wrote about Styrofoam(polystyrene).It does not take 50 years to decompose. why? beacause it is non-biodegradable.I would strongly suggest you do a tad bit more reasearch because you are providing incorrect iformation. i reasearched from some reliable sources for you :

Because molded polystyrene is 95% air, it is nearly impossible to recycle.

Broken glass, light bulbs, ceramics, Styrofoam, Pyrex, some yogurt containers, aerosol cans, soiled boxes and anything covered in wax paper are not recyclable.

Paper is less expensive and is biodegradable. Paper production can cause almost twice as much CO2 emissions and energy consumption as creating plastic or Styrofoam products. Some paper cups are also not recyclable if they have a wax coating on them

Styrofoam cups can insulate very well but they can break into small pieces that can be bad for children and animals. Styrofoam is created from benzene and other chemicals that can be bad for you and contribute to smog and global warming. It is not biodegradable and contributes to landfill pileup because it never deteriorates.

Plastic cups seem to be the best environmentally friendly option as most plastic cups are recyclable. If it is not recyclable, it can still be grounded up and used as a filler for other products. Plastic is also a much lighter material so there is less transportation and fuel costs needed. Plastic cups are also the cheapest to produce.

Banana Peel: 3-4 weeks Paper Bag: 1 month Cotton Rag: 5 months Wool Sock : 1 year Lumber : 10-15 years Tinned Steel Can: 80-100 years Aluminum Can : 200-500 years (But if recycled, it can be reused within 6 weeks!) Disposable Diapers: 500-600 years Plastic Bags : 1 million years Styrofoam: Eternity

970 thousand tons of paper cups and plates were discarded in 2003 (EPA). If, we approximate 15 grams weight for each cup or plate, we get 64 billion paper cups and plates being thrown away every year in USA.
730 thousand tons of styrofoam and plastic plates and cups (710 thousand tons were styrofoam) were disposed in 2003 (EPA). Using 10 grams weight for each cup or plate, we get 73 billion mostly styrofoam cups and plates being thrown away every year in USA.
According to EPA statistics, a total of 3,810 thousand tons of plastic containers & bottles were thrown away in 2003. Using a generous number of 20 grams for each container, we get a number of 190 billion plastic containers & bottles being landfilled or incinerated every year.
The above numbers do not include trash bags, grocery bags and other plastic materials like trays, utensils, clam shells, caps and other plastic packaging. A total of 8000 thousand tons of these items were discarded in 2003.

Plastic and styrofoam disposables made from petroleum based chemicals & additives. Petroleum is not only becoming an increasingly scarce resource, but it causes pollution and toxicity every step of its use - extraction, transportation (e.g. oil spills), refining and eventual production of the end use product. In addition the end use products made of styrofoam and plastic do not degrade and persist in the environment for hundred of years, causing further pollution and toxicity.

Paper disposables on the other hand are made from "virgin" wood fiber, which comes from our steadily depleting forests. Forests provide invaluable ecosystem services in maintaining biodiversity, streams, regulating climate and rainfall etc. and it is quite amazing that even today forests are cut down to be made into disposable paper products with a lifetime use of few minutes or seconds.

Biodegradable and compostable food service and packaging disposables provide a sustainable alternative to the styrofoam, plastic and paper products as they are made from readily renewable sources like sugarcane fiber, corn and potato, take less energy to manufacture, are not made from toxic or pollution causing sources and can be composted to reduce the amount of waste generated. They can also help reduce waste collection bills in counties and cities, which have a food waste/green waste pickup.

Please don't give your reader false information

Posted at 6:24PM on May 15th 2008 by kamryn

11. I think Global Warming is a big part of Society animals are dying out heck my children probaly wont get to see a polar bear if we keep living like this! We need to start changing the way we live.

Posted at 11:46AM on Jun 1st 2008 by sydney

12. hello well thanks for all the information but i need to know how long it takes for a tooth brush to decompose......... i am doing a project in biophysics......just in case you were wondering well yea i need help so if you could help me that would be cool
thanks *shainna*

Posted at 11:05AM on Jun 4th 2008 by shainna

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