How long does it take to degrade waste in nature?

Esta entrada también está disponible en: Spanish

Recycling is an issue of great importance, not only for the environment but also for us and future generations. You may have become aware and be among those who recycle but if not, it’s time to get down to work. When you know how long it takes to degrade waste in nature, you may think about it a little more.

Degradation time of some residues

Leaving organic waste aside, because they decompose easily and are very useful for the environment, we will focus on inorganic ones. For example, something like paper can take a while to degrade, up to a year, because it has components that are complex to assimilate by nature.
Tetra Brik containers have 75% cellulose, 20% polyethylene and 5% aluminum. With these components, this waste can take up to 30 years to degrade.

Plastic is a material that is very polluting and can take up to 100 years to degrade and disappear, depending on the type of plastic. Certain types of plastic have mercury, zinc, arsenic, lead or cadmium among others, making their degradation much more complex.

If we talk about plastic, supermarket bags take around 150 years, but if you think a long time, a battery may take a century, but not only because it can be really polluting. For example, a micro-mercury battery can contaminate up to 600,000 liters of water!

One of the materials that takes longer to degrade is glass, which can take up to 4,000 years, which is why we have to make a little effort and recycle, it costs nothing and we help the next generations to continue knowing and enjoying nature as we know it, at least today.