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Rubber soles, particularly those of heavy boots, can take more than half a century to decompose. Most companies use slow-decaying synthetic rubber to make boot soles.
T-shirts are a common waste item when thrown away instead of recycled or donated. A common t-shirt can take six months to decompose.
These types of cups decompose faster than most plastic waste. However, it still takes them half a century to finally break down.
Polyurethane cushions are commonly found in car seats and home furniture, made by injecting a foam mixture into a mold. These can take centuries to break down.
Most sanitary pad and tampons contain plastic in the lining or the applicator. The cotton parts decompose quickly, but the plastic takes decades to break down.
Ink cartridges from printers are terrible for the environment. Not only do they take centuries to decompose, they also leak toxic chemicals as they break down.
Old wool socks are often presumed to be un-donatable and are often tossed in the bin. They can take up to five years to decompose.
Tires contain heavy metals like lead, oils, and other pollutants that contaminate the environment as they break down. It's estimated that they will take two millennia to decompose.
Common household batteries are safe to throw away, but rechargeable batteries, car batteries, and other industrial types must be disposed of in specialty containers (like the ones you often find in grocery stories).
Monofilament fishing lines are hazardous because they trap marine animals and other wildlife during their long decomposition process. And even if they can be partially recovered and reused, the process for doing so isn’t common.
Depending on the material, common rope can take a bit over a year to decompose. One made with natural material decomposes faster than one made of synthetics.
Even if leather comes from animals, it's not a natural product. The tanning process involves treating it with chemicals, which means it releases toxins into the world when it breaks down.
Synthetic fabrics like lycra and polyester can take centuries to break down. Instead of throwing old fashion items away, try to reuse them in other ways, like using them as cleaning rags.
Paper towels are used every day around the world. In the long run, these make a lot of trees that need to get replanted to keep up with the consumption.
Millions of straws are used every day, even when most people don't actually need them. Straws have become one of the main targets for environmentalists to combat the reduction of plastic.
Most consumers are aware of the environmental hazard posed by plastic bags, but they are still one of the top pollutants in the world.
Most products are packaged in cardboard, which luckily can be recycled and reused. It also breaks down fairly quickly when it gets decomposed.
Hairspray bottles are a common sight in landfills. A single bottle can unfortunately remain intact for 200 to 500 years.
Even if nylon fishing nets can be reused, they can't be recycled. And when they're lost, it can be a big hazard for wildlife, both in waters and on shore.
Cigarette butts are probably the most common litter in the world, thrown every day on the streets, and eventually into the ocean or other waterways.
This popular cleaning wipe contains polyester-based plastic, which is close to indestructible. Unfortunately, they take a century to decompose after being thrown away.
Paper waste takes only a few weeks, but the volume is the biggest problem. Paper waste takes up more space in landfills than any other product.
Depending on how it’s disposed, and what it contains, food waste can break down in a few months or several years. For instance, apple cores take two months to decompose, while orange and banana peels take six months.
Aluminum foils are thrown away every day, but sadly it never breaks down all the way to full decomposition. It's best to reuse them or avoid them if possible.
Disposable diapers are one of the most common things found in landfills. It can take one diaper 500 years to decompose, during which time it releases toxic chemicals into the air and water.
Glass is one of the most durable materials in the world. It's believed that one glass bottle could take over one million years to decompose completely.
Sources: (Reader's Digest) (CBC) (Science Learning Hub)
See also: The cleanest countries in the world
Tin can take about half a century to decompose. We mostly see it used for food cans, but it's also commonly used for computers and other electronics.
Six-pack holders pose a major threat to wildlife, and often wind up in the ocean. They can take nearly half a millennium to break down.
Even with recycling, plastic bottles are still thrown out every day. And even if they are one of the easiest things to recycle, it still takes hundreds of years to decompose.
It can take aluminum cans 80 to 100 years to break down. The good news is that aluminum can be recycled an unlimited number of times.
When you throw something in the trash, it doesn’t just disappear: it goes straight to a landfill, where it decomposes. From a sustainability point of view, it's important to know how long it takes for various types of garbage to decompose, in order to reduce the consumption of materials that take longer.
Click through this gallery to see how long it takes for common items to decompose.
This is how long it takes for common items to decompose
Some of these will surprise you!
LIFESTYLE Sustainability
When you throw something in the trash, it doesn’t just disappear: it goes straight to a landfill, where it decomposes. From a sustainability point of view, it's important to know how long it takes for various types of garbage to decompose, in order to reduce the consumption of materials that take longer.
Click through this gallery to see how long it takes for common items to decompose.