How Biodegradable Is Your Trash?
The following chart outlines the estimated amount of time it takes these everyday household items to decompose when they are exposed to light and air.*
| Banana peel |
2 months |
| Notebook paper |
3 months |
| Comic book |
6 months |
| Wool mitten |
1 year |
| Cardboard milk carton |
5 years |
| Wooden baseball bat | 20 years |
| Leather baseball glove | 40 years |
| Steel can |
100 years |
| Aluminum soda can | 350 years |
| Plastic sandwich bag |
400 years |
| Plastic six-pack ring |
450 years |
| Polystyrene foam cup |
Maybe never |
| Car tire | Maybe never |
| Glass bottle |
Maybe never |
*Source: Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Albany County, New York, and the Environmental Protection Agency