MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT REPUBLIC OF KOREA


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Nonbiodegradable Waste

Non-biodegradable Garbage

Non-biodegradable Garbage

Soil is getting polluted by pesticides, factory wastes, the reclamation of poisonous industrial and household wastes, and the careless abandonment of non-biodegradable garbage. Some of those wastes remain under the ground for 500 years, which pollutes the environment.


Recently, the wastes that are not rotten easily, such as bottles, cans, plastics, vinyl, Styrofoam, and aluminum, are increasing so how to treat them is a worry. Incinerating the rotten wastes is a treatment way, but it can pollute the air or can generate the substances that have bad influence on organisms. And it causes other environmental problems. Therefore, the quantity of wastes generated should be reduced as far as possible, and recyclable wastes should be recycled.

[The Necessary Time for Each Waste to be Rotten]
Paper: 2-5 years
Milk pack: 5 years
Cigarette filter: 10-12 years
Wooden chopsticks: 20 years
Disposable cup: over 20 years
Leather product: 25-40 years
Nylon cloth: 30-40 years
Metal can: 100 years
Disposable diaper: over 100 years
Toothbrush: over 100 years
Aluminum can: over 500 years
Plastic container: over 500 years
Styrofoam: over500 years

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