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Biodegradable Plastics
Plastics are strong, flexible, lightweight, and resistant to corrosion.
This ensures that plastic products can last a long time and stand up
to rough treatment. These properties of plastics also mean that they
are non-biodegradable – that is, they don’t break down easily when exposed
to sunlight and water. This makes them particularly good for packaging.
However, these properties also mean that plastics last a very long time in landfill. In fact, a PET
plastic drink bottle can take up to 500 years to decompose in landfill. And discarded plastic bags
can float in the sea for years, making the water unsightly and dangerous for animals.
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