This infographic by AlansFactoryOutlet.com takes a hard look at how long several types of plastics take to fully break down once they are dumped into the world’s oceans.
Plastics do not “biodegrade.” Instead, they degrade from sunlight exposure. However, when dumped into the ocean, they are not exposed to sunlight. For example, a single toothbrush tossed into the sea can take as long as 500 years to break down, while detergent bottles, water bottles, and yogurt cups can take decades or even centuries.
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