How Long It Takes These 17 Everyday Items to Decompose
Even though my blog is about smart shopping and saving money, thereโs also a green element to it. It is important to me to buy things that last and which I donโt 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 considerย bringing your own bags? You wonโt have to worry about throwing away plastic bags and you might even get a discount.
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Plastic Straws

You probably donโt 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.
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Wet Wipes

Iโm guilty of grabbing a wet wipe for a quick and easy way to clean up. This could be for removing makeup orย cleaning my Peloton bike. However, Iโm going to rethink all of that, now that Iโve learned that wipes take a century or more to decomposeโeven the so-called flushable wipes.
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Snack Wrappers

Most food wrappers, including chip bags and candy wrappers, can take as long as 100 years to decompose.ย If you happen to own a Subaru vehicle, your local dealership may take snack wrappers for recycling so you donโt have to
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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.
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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 theyโre brand name,ย sell them back to a brand that will resell them.
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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.
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Aluminum Cans

Aluminum cans and containers can take up to 100 years to decompose. There is no reasonย notย to recycle aluminum cans. Cans are one of the most widely accepted items in curbside recycling programs.
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Food Scraps

Food doesnโt 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.
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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.
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Thread and Yarn

As long as thread and yarn are made of natural fibers, you can compost them. You donโt 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 aย Buy Nothing group.
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Paper

In case you didnโt know, paper is compostable. In fact, Iโll take the remnants from myย paper shredderย and put them in my compost bin. There is no reason to throw away paper. At the very least, please recycle it.
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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.
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Cardboard

Cardboard doesnโt take very long to decomposeโabout 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 wonโt be adding to the nationsโ landfills. If you have lots of cardboard moving boxes, Iโll bet you can find people on local Buy Nothing groups to take them off your hands.
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Paper Towels

Paper towels take only a few weeks to break down. Thatโs why I usually add them to my compost bin. However, to cut down on waste and save money in the process, weโve transitioned to using reusable towels and rags in place of paper towels.
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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.
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Wood
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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.
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