I read about a huge patch of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean. It sometimes stretches as far as 1000 miles. So how long will it take this plastic to break down?
Plastic takes CENTURIES to decompose. The reason is this: plastic's chemical composition is purely hydrogen and carbon. The problem is the way the atoms are bonded. The bonds are very strong. Everything natural has a way to be built up and then decomposed. Because plastics are human made, nature doesn't have a ready made solution to breakdown the molecules and recycle them. Thus, we have billions of tons of waiste matter scattered all over Mother Earth, because mankind thinks they own everything. (The truth is we don't.)
Well, if the government gets involved it will take years and millions of tax dollars.
almost 100 years if left in a dumpsite
