2 ms·

Depends on the type of plastic and what was used in its manufacture. Most plastics eventually degrade into water and carbon dioxide. However, until they are c

Depends on the type of plastic and what was used in its manufacture. Most plastics eventually degrade into water and carbon dioxide. However, until they are completely broken down they cause all sorts of problems not the least of which is mentioned in the article. Some plastics like PLA and PHA are highly unlikely to cause problems 50-100 years in the future because they don't last that long unless carefully preserved. California funded a study of how long it takes PLA and PHA to break down in the ocean and figured out that PHA is basically gone in six months while PLA will last about 3 years: https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/Download/1006?opt=dln https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/Download/1006?op...

DoingIsLearning 6y ago
> Most plastics _eventually_ degrade into water and carbon dioxide. Plastic straw decomposition: 200 years [0] Plastic bootle decomposition: 450 years [0] PLA is a fraction of the world's plastic pollution. Mixing in this marginal example is misleading. We shouldn't downplay the decomposition time of _most_ plastics. Plastics and fossil fuel emissions are the asbestos of our time. Single-use plastic, outside medical applications, should be banned worldwide. [0] https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/the-lifecycle-of-plastics https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/the-lifecycle-of-plastics