How long do plastic bags remain in the environment?
Like much of the controversy over plastic bags, the evidence is unclear. Studies have suggested that some plastic can last 1,000 years before degrading but other suggest bags are unlikely to survive longer than 10-20 years. Biodegradable bags take months. More research is needed. How widespread are they? Everyone has seen them in streets and as with most litter they are more common close to human centres of habitation. However, scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton recently explored parts of the Portuguese coast and found plastic bags snagging on their equipment at 5,580 feet (1,700 m) beneath the waves. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey have reported plastics in the South Sandwich Islands, one of the most remote land areas in the world. What happens when plastics break down in the seas? This remains to be seen. The dynamics of marine ecosystems remain little understood so the impact of degraded plastic has yet to be assessed. Researchers fro
