How Long It Takes These 17 Everyday Items to Decompose

Even though my blog is about smart shopping and saving money, there’s also a green element to it. It is important to me to buy things that last and which I don’t automatically see as disposable or throw away. Maybe you feel the same. So read on to find out how long it takes these 17 everyday items to decompose.

Plastic Bags

It can take as little as 10 years for plastic bags to break down or as long as 10,000. No wonder so many states now ban single-use plastic bags. Some states will charge you money to use the store bags, so why not consider bringing your own bags? You won’t have to worry about throwing away plastic bags and you might even get a discount.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Plastic Straws

You probably don’t think twice about taking a straw when you get a drink at a restaurant or store. Maybe stop that habit because it can take up to 200 years for a single plastic straw to decompose. Instead, invest in reusable plastic straws, which can go in the dishwasher and last for years.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Wet Wipes

I’m guilty of grabbing a wet wipe for a quick and easy way to clean up. This could be for removing makeup or cleaning my Peloton bike. However, I’m going to rethink all of that, now that I’ve learned that wipes take a century or more to decompose—even the so-called flushable wipes.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Snack Wrappers

Most food wrappers, including chip bags and candy wrappers, can take as long as 100 years to decompose. If you happen to own a Subaru vehicle, your local dealership may take snack wrappers for recycling so you don’t have to
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose. This is true whether they are plastic bottles for drinking water or soda or plastic prescription bottles. They are one of the easiest items to recycle. Plus, in some states you can get money for plastic bottles, such as through the Clynk program at Hannaford in Maine that we use.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Cotton T Shirts

Cotton t-shirts take about six months to decompose. However, why throw them out? In our house, worn-out t-shirts get turned into rags. On the other hand, if you have t-shirt you no longer want, you can always do a clothing swap, donate them to Goodwill, or if they’re brand name, sell them back to a brand that will resell them.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Synthetic Fabrics

Anything made of synthetics can take up to 100 years to decompose. Whenever possible, donate clothing for resale or to a good cause that might be able to reuse them. For instance, you can donate old neckties to a high school theater department for their costumes.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Aluminum Cans

Aluminum cans and containers can take up to 100 years to decompose. There is no reason not to recycle aluminum cans. Cans are one of the most widely accepted items in curbside recycling programs.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Food Scraps

Food doesn’t take as long as you might think to decompose in ideal conditions. But a landfill is not an ideal condition and what we, Americans, throw away, is more often than not, food that could have been composted. You can even learn to turn food scraps into new meals. Bottom line: start composting.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Hairspray, Shampoo and Beauty Bottles

There is absolutely no reason to throw away any makeup container, especially if you live near a Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack. These stores have boxes for Beautycycle, which are exactly as they sound. They collect the package for beauty products so that they can be responsibly recycled.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Thread and Yarn

As long as thread and yarn are made of natural fibers, you can compost them. You don’t need to throw them away, where they can take years to decompose. On the other hand, if you have tons of thread you have no use for anymore, then donate it or give it away in a Buy Nothing group.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Paper

In case you didn’t know, paper is compostable. In fact, I’ll take the remnants from my paper shredder and put them in my compost bin. There is no reason to throw away paper. At the very least, please recycle it.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Shoes and Boots

Footwear takes anywhere from 25 to 50 years to decompose in a landfill. The best option? Donate old shoes or have existing shoes restored and resoled so you can get more life out of them.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Cardboard

Cardboard doesn’t take very long to decompose—about two months. Which is why you should be using it in the garden to block weeds. It will decompose on its own that way and you won’t be adding to the nations’ landfills. If you have lots of cardboard moving boxes, I’ll bet you can find people on local Buy Nothing groups to take them off your hands.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Paper Towels

Paper towels take only a few weeks to break down. That’s why I usually add them to my compost bin. However, to cut down on waste and save money in the process, we’ve transitioned to using reusable towels and rags in place of paper towels.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Egg Cartons

Styrofoam egg cartons will live in landfills forever. So, when buying eggs, go for containers made of paper board, which are compostable, or plastic, which are recyclable.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose

Wood

Lumber takes a few decades to degrade and plywood even less time. However, if you have leftover lumber or plywood from a home improvement project, why not donate it to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. They can sell it so someone else can reuse it. Better yet, reuse that wood to build yourself a compost bin.
Read the Article: How Long Does It Take To Decompose