How Long Until It’s Gone: a Guide to Waste Decomposition

It’s likely that every time we throw something into the trash can, we may think that it’s gone for good. However, this waste is usually sent to a landfill, where it can take from several weeks to thousands of years to actually decompose and, in the meantime, it produces gas emissions that damage the environment. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of how long our garbage will be hanging around in order to be more responsible about how we manage it.

5-Minute Crafts has created this useful guide to help you know the decomposition times for some of the most common discarded items.

2 weeks to 1 year

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5, Source 6.

1 year to 80 years

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5, Source 6, Source 7, Source 8, Source 9.

80 years to 500 years

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4, Source 5, Source 6, Source 7.

500 years and over

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4.