How long will litter last?

Banana in plastic


Cigarette butts
1-5 years
Aluminum cans and tabs
500 years
Glass bottles
1,000 years
Plastic bags
10-20 years
Plastic coated paper
5 years
Plastic film containers
20-30 years
Nylon fabric
30-40 years
Leather
up to 50 years
Wool socks
1-5 years
Orange and banana peels
up to 2 years
Tin cans
50 years
Plastic 6-pac holders
100 years
Plastic bottles and styrofoam
indefinitely





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A poster with this information was produced by Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida.
While much of the material on these pages is borrowed, other material is original.
In any case, copyright of the page design belongs to Sheryl Todd.