Tiempo de degradación

Soda can

Plastic bag

Brick packaging

Cigarette butts

Newspaper

How long does it take for your waste to disappear?

Stack

Fishing line

Baby diaper

Plastic bottle

Cotton swab for ears

How long does it take for your waste to disappear?

Cigarette butts are the biggest cause of litter in the world. They contain many toxic substances concentrated in the filter and can take many years to degrade.

10 years

Cigarette butt

30 years

Brick packaging

These containers are made of cardboard, plastic and aluminium:

• The cardboard provides stability.
• The plastic prevents the contents of the container from leaking out.
• The aluminium protects it from external agents.

Its aluminium base is what slows down the decomposition process.

200 years

Soda can

Aluminum cans need a lot of rain and humidity so that the rust can completely cover them and then disappear through the action of nature.

This is an estimated time since it will depend on exposure to external agents such as rainwater, sun and even air currents.

2 months

Newspaper

150 years

Plastic bag

Here we must not only take into account the time it takes for this compound to degrade, but also the great environmental damage it causes to marine fauna.

450 years

Plastic bottle

A major barrier to plastic recycling is that plastic polymers are very stable, so it takes a lot of energy and time to break them down completely.

In addition to containing around 35% cellulose fiber, the remainder is made up of non-biodegradable synthetic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene and a highly absorbent synthetic polymer.

450 years

Baby diaper

1000 years

Stack

The biodegradation time of batteries is more than 1.000 years. Batteries contain highly polluting elements that do not degrade easily.

300 years

Cotton swab for ears

This type of waste has doubled in recent years and is currently one of the most common types of waste in seas and rivers. Therefore, it is always worth remembering that cotton swabs should never be flushed down the toilet.

This object used by fishermen is the one that takes the longest to decompose: approximately 600 years. Or, in other words, almost the same time since Columbus arrived in America (1492).

600 years

Fishing line