We currently live in a worldwide capitalist economic system that favors continuous consumption, which is why the products are designed to last little for the purpose they have been given at first, that is, many have what is known as programmed obsolescence. You could say that our society is to “use and throw”, but for this a material that is not too expensive is needed and that material is plastic. If you look around the plastic is constantly in our lives: it is present in most containers, wraps, appliances, toys and electronic devices, among others. With the “use and throw” system, just as the products increase, the waste increases this having a serious impact on the environment.
If you want to know how long it takes for the plastic to degrade and what consequences it has for the environment, continues to read this interesting ecology article in which we address the issue of how long does plastic take to degradeits impacts on the environment and how to reduce its consumption.
How long does the plastic take to degrade
Plastic is a material that takes a long period of time to decompose, since its decomposition process in nature is very slow. As a summary, we can clarify that, in reality, depending on the type of plastic takes between 100 and 1000 years to degradewith an average of 500 years. Learn about the different types of plastics with this other Ecology Verde.
Here we mention a couple of cases that are the ones that usually generate the most used products:
How long does a plastic bottle take to degrade
PET bottles are one of the most used plastics objects worldwide and it is normal to ask how long it may take to disappear if it reaches the ground of a forest or the sea. A PET type plastic bottle can be late about 1,000 years in decomposing completely in nature.
How long does a plastic bag take to degrade
Plastic bags are another of the most used objects around the world, although it is trying to return to the use of fabric bags, baskets, etc., to replace them as much as possible. A plastic bag can take to degrade over 150 years.
Environmental impact of plastic
These are the main points of the serious environmental impact of plastic:
- One of the most worrying impacts of plastic is given worldwide, this being the Pollution of seas and oceans. In fact, in the Pacific Ocean of the North, between Japan and California is an area with a large concentration of plastic waste, this area receives several names and one of them is “The plastic island”. In this other article we talk more about what the plastic islands are and how they are formed and, in addition, here you can see a video about this problem of the oceans.
- The plastic in the sea and the ocean not only has a landscape impact, but also on its biodiversity. In the case of animals these can be entangled with plastics or being injured and sometimes they can end up dying, so a loss of biodiversity important.
- The most harmful plastics are The microplasticsthey are less than 5 mm and although they may have formed by the fragmentation of a macroplastic, these are also manufactured for hygiene products such as detergents, dentifrices or exfoliants. These microplastic are small plastic particles that the treatment plants are not able to retain and reach the sea directly. The consequence is very serious since they are ingested by animals, causing gastrointestinal problems and alterations in their life cycle or even killing them. In addition, these microplastics are transferred in the food chain reaching the foods that humans consume, so we end up ingesting the microplastics ourselves, which we have produced. Macroplastic are also very harmful, but at least they can be cleaned more easily. Learn more about what microplastics are and their consequences with this other ecology article.
Although the seas and oceans are the visibly most affected ecosystems, the plastic can end in any corner of the planet: forests, natural parks, the streets we walked through, beaches …
How to recycle plastic
To recycle this material, you should usually take to yellow container. In the yellow container they can be thrown alone plastic containers And it is recommended that these are as clean as possible, since the less dirty they reach the recycling plants, the better an efficient recycling process will be carried out. Next, some of the containers that can and should deposit in these containers will be shown:
- Water bottles, milk, soft drinks and juices.
- Bathroom and shampoo gels boats.
- Bags that are used for frozen, snacks or the same plastic that we use to put things.
- Cleaning products.
- Butter trays or yogurt container.
- Trays where packaged foods come.
It must be clear that not any plastic can be recycled in the yellow container and that is why they must be taken to a clean point. To these Clean points Those waste is carried that by sizes and danger cannot be deposited in the yellow container. Some examples of Things we can’t throw a yellow container are:
- Flander or paint cubes.
- Plastic toys.
- Objects like whippers.
- VHS and electronic devices.
We recommend you also read this other ecology article about how to recycle plastic at home.
How to use less plastic
The recycling of plastic is not resulting to be as sustainable as it was believed that it would be, since not even 50% of the products manufactured with this material are recycled and in many countries do not even follow recycling processes, that is why the most important thing is to avoid its use.
It is true that plastic makes life easier, but if we propose it, we can look for simple alternatives to use in many aspects. What is more important, change some daily habits or care for our planet? Next, some will be shown Tips for Use Less Plastic:
- When we are going to make our own bag, with this simple gesture a large number of plastic bags are reduced. For example, for comfort to buy vegetables and fruit in large supermarkets, we take a bag for each product and then weigh it directly on the bag. It would really be better to take ours, and it doesn’t matter that in the same bag we mix several products, since once we get to the box, we can ask them to separate it to weigh it. Already in many places you can find biodegradable plastic bags, and although this option is better than using the usual plastic bag, if we use reusable bags it will always be the most sustainable option. Discover more on this topic in this article on alternatives to replace plastic bags.
- When we organize an event, instead of resorting to the vessel and plastics of a single use, which can also be recycled, use those that are reusable, although later they have to clean them.
- Do not use straws or plastic reeds of a single use to drink liquids or, if we use them, be reusable. The straws in addition to not being able to recycle, are dangerous for animals, since if they confuse it with food they can end up drowning with them.
- Buy food in bulk, there are more and more businesses that are opting for this method. In the end, people have the power, if we demand businesses that sell their bulk products, over time there will be more establishments that offer this service.
- Some territories is true that they do not have a good water purification system and its inhabitants are forced to consume bottled water, but for those who are lucky enough to live instead with good quality in purified water, the use of a glass bottle to fill it with water from the tap, it is an alternative to the bottle water. Another idea is to get a home or purchased water filter and thus be able to drink tap water and stop spending plastic bottles.
- Avoid coffee consumption in capsules, as these cannot be recycled. In many shops you can find reusable capsules, we fill it with coffee and, thus, we can continue using our coffee maker.
If you want to read more articles similar to How long does plastic take to degradewe recommend that you enter our recycling and waste management category.
- Tellez, A. (2012). The complexity of the environmental problem of plastic waste: an approach to the narrative analysis of public policy in Bogotápp. 15-17. Institute of Environmental Studies-Idea Bogotá, Colombia.
