Read an article takes eleventy snazzillion years to break down in the environment makes for a great deal of attention grabbing stuff when you write articles on green living, but the more I research various topics, the more I find differences in the estimates.
Much of this is to do with the fact that the explosion is very dependent on the environment in which the material is rotting. Look to the example of the difference between how fast steel rusts (a form of degradation) in a moist salt air environment such as coast vs. a dry environment such as a desert.
Dry air actually inhibits the degradation in General.Another example is the carton, we believe, be highly biodegradable. I have a sheet of cardboard on the back of a building at my property in the outback (semi-arid area) and after 2 years it is still not allocated in spite of the fact that it is completely exposed to the elements.
Another factor is whether the waste is also exposed to air or burial in a landfill.In the latter case, it's usually much longer for an object to break down.
They are a few points to remember when you view statistics on how the x or Y material exploded. "Break down "is a vague term and there is also a big difference in the conditions, biodegradable, biodegradable and compostable. not to talk about the types of traces which they leave behind, can sometimes be toxic; this is another reason to recycle where we can, plus recycling energy savings for most types of waste are significant.
