Question
How much time does it take for certain commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered around as litter?
Solution
The following chart shows the time taken for commonly used materials to biodegrade:
|
Item |
Time taken to biodegrade |
|
Cotton rags |
1-5 months |
|
Paper |
2-5 months |
|
Rope |
3-14 months |
|
Orange peels |
6 months |
|
Wool socks |
1-5 years |
|
Plastic coated paper milk cartons |
5 years |
|
Leather shoes |
25-40 years |
|
Nylon fabric |
30-40 years |
|
Tin cans |
50-100 years |
|
Aluminium cans |
80-100 years |
|
Glass bottles |
1 million years |
|
Plastic bottles |
Do not biodegrade at all |
