Did you know…

Trash is not just swallowed up by the desert? It hangs around for a long, long  time.

Here are some examples:

• Used toilet paper: several weeks to months.
• Cigarette butts: around 10-15 years to decompose, but may persist for longer.
• Plastic bottles:
  • Can take around 450-1,000 years to decompose.
  • Can break down into microplastics, which can be ingested by wildlife and contaminate the food chain.
• Aluminum cans: can take anywhere from 80-500 years to decompose.
• Yellow Caution tape: around 10-30 years to decompose.
• Plastic wrappers:
  • Can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose.
  • May never fully break down, instead fragmenting into microplastics.
• Motorcycle plastic: around 100-1,000 years to decompose.
• Fiberglass whip pole: hundreds to thousands of years to decompose.
• Plastic bags:
  • Can take around 10-20 years to decompose, but may persist for longer
  • Can break down into microplastics, which can be ingested by wildlife and contaminate the food chain.
• Cardboard: could last for several months to a few years before it fully breaks down.
• Citrus Peels: One study reported that in a hot, dry climate took around 2-3 years to decompose.
• Banana Peels: Another study reported that in a desert environment took around 3-6 months to decompose.
• Discarded TIres: 50-100 years with small fragments of metal and rubber still remaining.
• Foam Food Trays: 50-100+ years.
• Old Carpet: 50-100 years.
• Wet wipes: can take around 100-500 years to decompose, but may persist for longer.
• Disposable diapers: can take around 250-500 years to decompose.
• Trash can liners: around 10-30 years to decompose.
• Paper Plates: 2-5 years for completed degradation

Please do your part.

Anti-access groups can and do use litter as an argument to close areas.

PACK IT IN: PACK IT OUTIt’s not that inconvenient.