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But is not biodegradable on shorter time scales. e.g. a glass bottle in a woodland setting could stay in that form for thousands of years. A paper bottle would
by alexpotato 6y ago
But is not biodegradable on shorter time scales.
e.g. a glass bottle in a woodland setting could stay in that form for thousands of years. A paper bottle would last a few weeks at most.
- catalogia 6y agoGlass bottles in the ocean get chemical and mechanical weathering pretty quickly, being ground away to sand on the order of decades. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_glass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_glass) You can also simply put them through a crusher/pulverize two or three times to turn them back into sand. I'm not really sure intact glass is a big environmental problem though. Animals could get stuck in intact bottles or cut themselves on sharp glass, but otherwise I believe glass is nontoxic, generally quite inert, and as far as nature is concerned indistinguishable from other naturally occurring minerals (obsidian in particular comes to mind.)
- enkid 6y agoIs that really a big deal? Is that form actively harmful? After all, it's mostly melted sand. Seems like it would be no worse than having a rock to me, but I don't know enough to say that definitively.
- Xophmeister 6y agoA shard of glass would be sharp (dangerous to animals that are unfamiliar with it) and could even focus sunlight to start a fire.
- jacknews 6y agowhat does paper/cardboard biodegrade to?
- Spooky23 6y agoEventually, it degrades in the soil. Waxed products and tetra-packs do not, however. When I moved into my home in 2006, I found circa 1985 era milk cartons and juiceboxes buried in the garden. (i think they were used to start seeds) The milk carton was degrading, the juice box, not so much.
- jacknews 6y agoit degrades to co2 wax, etc, remains underground, a bit like coal, or oil, long term.