According to the Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry, decomposition is “the chemical breakdown of organic matter into its constituents by the action of bacteria,” while photo degradation is, “the process by which chemical bonds are broken down by photons in the sun’s light spectrum.” LDPE Low - This is what our current plastic grocery bags are made of. If exposed to ultra violet light, these bags have been estimated to break down in as little as 500 years with a conservative average time of 1000 years. If there is no exposure to a light source, say at the bottom of a landfill, the plastic may remain intact indefinitely.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 15:51:40 +0000