How Long Does Litter Take To Disintegrate?

April 23rd, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Since yesterday was Earth Day and I figure a lot of trash got picked up around the world (at least I hope!), and I don’t have a lot of time to write (Mom has been in town visiting, flying home today), here are some facts about the litter that we see laying on the side of the road and riverbanks most of us don’t think too much about. From American Rivers:

Percentages and Types of Litter Found Outdoors:

  • Fast food waste (33%)
  • Paper (29%)
  • Aluminum (28%)
  • Glass (6%)
  • Plastic (2%)
  • Other (2%)

How Long Litter Lasts In The Wild:

  • Orange peel (2-5 weeks)
  • Paper bag (1 month)
  • Cigarette butt (up to 5 years)
  • Leather shoe (45 years)
  • Plastic bottle (430 years)
  • Aluminum can (200-500 years)
  • Disposable diaper (550 years)
  • Glass bottle (Approx. 1 million years)
  • Styrofoam container (1 million years)

Food for thought, no?

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You may also like:

  1. Even If It Didn’t Matter, Why Would Anyone Choose To Litter?
  2. Hauling My Own Trash: Month One.
  3. Waiting For The Composter To Arrive, And Other Trashy Tales…
  4. Do One Thing: Buy It In Glass Instead.
  5. Canceling Trash Pickup Will Remind Me Of How Much Trash We Dispose Of.



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There Are 5 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by MamaBird/SurelyYouNest on 23 April 2008:

    Love this post! Exactly the kind of stats I love to read. Appreciatively…MB

  2. Comment by Tencel on 23 April 2008:

    I actually would thought the leather shoe would have taken longer - interesting.

  3. Comment by CindyW on 23 April 2008:

    Number 1 trash - fast food waste. Surprising yet totally makes sense. Would be interesting to have a contest amongst fast food restaurants. Do McD eaters litter more or Carl’s Jr eaters? An interesting cultural study.

  4. Comment by mickey on 24 April 2008:

    I think Cindy’s on to something there.

    “The road to the apocalypse is paved with disposable food containers.”
    -Source unknown or forgotten

  5. Comment by M. Hostetler on 16 March 2009:

    How long does it take for fabric to disintigrate in a land fill?

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