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Paper does not biodegrade once it is in landfill no longer exposed to air or the elements. Not even newsprint. There is a whole discipline of archeology consist
by fmajid 8y ago
Paper does not biodegrade once it is in landfill no longer exposed to air or the elements. Not even newsprint. There is a whole discipline of archeology consisting of digging in landfills and they often find perfectly preserved newspapers that are 50 years old or more.
- cdolan 8y agoSorry landfill decomposition wasn’t my point but I didn’t clarify. My point was that paper can decompose more easily if/when it’s improperly disposed of/littered. It’s not ideal, but at least it will be gone in shorter time than plastic, and it won’t destroy wildlife, etc. The other benefit of more paper based products is they retain greater value than plastics (both economic and practical - your McDonalds napkin was formerly a newspaper, which is former office paper, etc) and therefore market forces will typically support a clean stream recycling program for mixed paper, office paper, and corrugated cardboard.