A paper towel takes 2-4 weeks to decompose in the environment, a little longer takes the banana peel abandoned in the wild: 2-5 weeks. The apple core, on the other hand, disappears within two months. So says the study ‘Time it takes for garbage to decompose in the environment‘ by the U.S. National Park Service, Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, Florida.
It’s a different story when it comes to plastic, however: plastic bottles take up to 450 years to decompose in the environment, plastic cutlery on the other hand can take up to a thousand years. But the record is glass: a million years to disappear.
Humanity produces more than 430 million tons of plastic annually, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste, filling the ocean and, often, working their way into the human food chain, the UN Environment Program said in an April report. Plastic waste produced globally is set to almost triple by 2060, with about half ending up in landfill and under a fifth recycled, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
There is no secret that plastic is harmful to the environment. It causes harm to marine life, contributes significantly to both land and ocean pollution, and takes decades to degrade. In addition, greenhouse gases produced during the production of plastics contribute to climate change, which has become a pressing concern today
The adverse effects of plastic on the environment are pretty evident. As a result, adopting more sustainable, eco-friendly solutions has become the need of the hour.
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