How Long Does it Take for a Plastic Container to Start Decomposing?
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Average Decomposition
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The average plastic container takes about 500 years to start decomposing in a landfill. It isn't until then that the chemical bonds between the atoms of the plastic begin to break down.
Environmental Impacts
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Environmental factors can have an impact on decomposition of plastic. For instance, hotter temperatures cause the atoms within the plastic to become excited and to vibrate faster. If the plastic were to get hot enough, the plastic may change phase from a solid to a liquid (melt). This would make it easier to break the bonds between the atoms, since the atoms would move more, faster, and be spaced further apart than in solid form. The plastic thus might biodegrade faster than normal. This actually is not an uncommon occurrence, since heat is a natural byproduct of decomposition; temperatures in piles of trash in a landfill can reach well past 100 degrees F. Other factors such as micro-organism activity also have an impact on the breakdown.
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Chemical Makeup
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How long plastic containers take to break down varies by the specific chemical makeup of the plastic. Some plastics have weaker chemical bonds and thus do not take as long to biodegrade. Some plastics, however, have bonds that are so strong that they would not break down easily even over long periods of time--in some cases, forever isn't an exaggeration.
Chemical Interference
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Landfills are full of everything, not just plastic. Some of the items that people throw away improperly can speed up the breakdown of the plastic. The acid from batteries that are thrown away improperly, for example, can eat away at the chemical bonds of the plastic and cause them to disintegrate. By contrast, some plastics are treated with chemicals or paints that slow the breakdown of the plastic.
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