Waste and how long does it take to decompose!

Accounts Officer

Ever wondered how long it takes for your rubbish to decompose?

Taking that Sunday afternoon drive to the local dump- we all know that dumping at the local landfill can be extremely expensive especially in Sydney metro area due to the landfill levy. At Waste Options we try to promote recycling to our customers for two main reasons, in Sydney- recycling can be significantly cheaper than dumping in general waste and secondly – of course it helps OUR environment.

Waste Options is a real change to the Sydney waste management sector – we provide low cost and reliable services to small and medium businesses. Waste Options take the worry out by offering our services are on flexible 30 day agreements, so you do not need to worry about roll over clauses or hidden charges again. Check out our options or get a quote online at our website.

So how long does it take waste to decompose?

As we all know that dumping at rubbish dump Sydney sites is not the best option. We thought it would be interesting to look at how long it takes various items to break down landfills. Take note that these decomposition will  vary depending on the conditions of the landfill.

Plastic waste:  ‘Normally, plastic items can take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills. But plastic bags we use in our everyday life take 10-1000 years to decompose, while plastic bottles can take 450 year or more’

Nappies/diapers: ‘disposable diapers take approximately 250-500 years to decompose in landfills’

Cans: ‘Aluminium cans take 80-200 years in landfills to get completely decomposed’

Glass: ‘if glass is thrown away in landfills, it takes million years to decompose. And according to some sources, it doesn’t decompose at all’

Paper: ‘it takes 2-6 weeks in landfills to get completely decomposed’

Food Waste: ‘Normally, an orange peel takes 6 months  but an apple core or a banana peel takes around one month to decompose’