Plastic is both a blessing and a curse. It has revolutionized the way we live for the better, but it also presents us with a big problem. Namely, what do we do with it and where does it go once we\u2019re finished using it? Every toothbrush, drinking straw, Styrofoam clamshell and pen you\u2019ve ever used is still on this earth \u2014 either in its original form, recycled into another product or slowly breaking down into tiny pieces called microplastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plastic is everywhere, and by design, it\u2019s made to last decades, if not hundreds of years. It\u2019s incredibly useful, but it\u2019s bad in terms of the waste created. The truth is we really don\u2019t know how long plastic lasts. Plastic has only been in circulation since 1907, and experts estimate that some plastics can last hundreds of years before they finally break down. And it keeps piling up in the strangest of ways, like the Great Pacific garbage patch<\/a> just floating in the middle of the ocean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plastics can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, depending on the material and structure. Additionally, how fast a plastic breaks down depends on sunlight exposure. Like our skin, plastics absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, which breaks down the molecules. This process is called photodegradation, and it\u2019s why landfills often expose plastic waste to the sun to accelerate the breakdown process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, single-use plastic grocery bags take about two decades to break down. In contrast, plastic water bottles made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common type of plastic, are estimated to take approximately 450 years to fully break down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s are the estimated decomposition timelines for common plastic waste products: <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Long Does It Take for Plastic to Decompose? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n