Does plastic fully decompose?
Plastic does not decompose. This means that all plastic that has ever been produced and has ended up in the environment is still present there in one form or another. Plastic production is booming since the 1950s.
The enzymes in the microorganisms that break down biodegradeable materials don't recognize the bonds that hold polymers together. Eventually, the polymers in plastic waste may break down, perhaps after hundreds of thousands of years. But when it takes such a long time, the damage is already done to the environment.
You can't manage what you don't measure
Of that, only nine percent has been recycled. The vast majority—79 percent—is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter. Meaning: at some point, much of it ends up in the oceans, the final sink.
Plastic waste is one of many types of wastes that take too long to decompose. Normally, plastic items take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills. But plastic bags we use in our everyday life take 10-20 years to decompose, while plastic bottles take 450 years.
That is not to say that plastics can't breakdown, they do, but it takes a long time; plastic bottles take up to 450 years to decompose in landfill.
Plastic packaging supports the safe distribution of food over long distances and minimises food waste by keeping food fresher for longer, and it provides a barrier against bacteria.
Plastic is a design failure. It was born as a useful material, but without due thought into where it would end up and whether it could be reused.
Without plastic, you also wouldn't be able to use electricity, there would be no plastic circuits to build your phone or computer. There would be no inexpensive adapters either. We also wouldn't be able to protect wildlife like rhinos from becoming extinct, nor would we be able to keep ourselves safe.
Say no to plastic bags as plastic bags are threat to our environment because a single plastic bag takes up to 1000 years to decompose as it contains non-renewable petrochemicals. Hence plastic bags will stay for a more extended period and damage our Mother Nature.
The reality, however, is that we are not running out of plastic anytime soon — and until that day comes, we need to do something responsible with it today, tomorrow and however long it takes to eliminate the problem.
Is it worth it to recycle plastic?
Recycling reduces the need for new plastic made from raw materials, saving energy and carbon in the process. It takes 75% less energy to make a plastic bottle using recycled plastic compared to newly made plastic.
Saves energy and conserves natural resources. Recycled materials — like paper, plastic and glass — almost always use less energy than new, raw materials.
Plastic bottles, for instance, are estimated to require approximately 450 years to decompose in a landfill.
- Glass bottles. Time to break down: one million years.
- Plastic bags. Time to break down: 200-500 years.
- Aluminium cans. Time to break down: 80-200 years.
- Rubber-soled shoes. Time to break down: 50-80 years.
- Tin cans. Time to break down: 50 years.
- Clothing. Time to break down: up to 40 years.
- Plastic film* ...
- Paper coffee cups.
Well, according to some researchers, they estimate that due to the PET used in objects like plastic bags, plastic water bottles and plastic straws, it could take upwards of 450 years to decompose.
The problem with decomposing plastic is that plastic is not organic. Most plastics in use today are made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET for short, and are nearly indestructible. It is nearly impossible to decompose PET plastics because most bacteria cannot break them down.
In the former category, polylactic acid (PLA), a plastic made from corn, tops the list as the most talked-about alternative. PLA decomposes into water and carbon dioxide in 47 to 90 days -- four times faster than a PET-based bag floating in the ocean.
Belgian chemist and clever marketeer Leo Baekeland pioneered the first fully synthetic plastic in 1907. He beat his Scottish rival, James Swinburne, to the patent office by one day. His invention, which he would christen Bakelite, combined two chemicals, formaldehyde and phenol, under heat and pressure.
Enormous amount of plastic will fill oceans, land by 2040 even with immediate global action, report says. More than 1.3 billion tons of plastic waste will flow into the world's oceans and land over the next two decades without widespread intervention, according to a new report.
Paper and polylactic acid (PLA) are currently the two most popular alternatives to single-use plastics. While PLA is only biodegradable in industrial composting plants, both paper and bioderived plastics like PLA and many other “plant-based” compostable alternatives could be major greenhouse gas emitters.
What has replaced plastic?
- reusable fabric bags for fruit & veg etc.
- reusable containers and boxes for meat, fish, cheese etc.
- refillable bottles and jars for oil & vinegar, cleaning liquids etc.
- beeswax wraps instead of foil and clingfilm.
The amount of plastic in the ocean is expected to double in the next 15 years, and by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the sea (by weight). There are giant plastic islands floating on the ocean surface, and beaches around the world are increasingly littered with plastic rubbish even in the Arctic.
Plastic by numbers
At this rate, plastic production is expected to double by 2040 and increase by 2.5 times by 2050. Unless we change how we make and manage plastics, the problem of plastic pollution will keep on growing. In theory, plastics should be readily recycled or at least reused.
But the problem with plastic is that most of it isn't biodegradable. It doesn't rot, like paper or food, so instead it can hang around in the environment for hundreds of years. Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced and 40% of that is single-use - plastic we'll only use once before it's binned.
It reduces food waste by preserving food and increasing its shelf life. It protects food against pests, microbes and humidity.