Ever wonder what happens to that old milk carton or the broken lamp you tossed in the trash? It all ends up in landfills, massive sites designed to hold our waste. But what happens to that trash once it's buried? The answer depends on what you threw away! Some items break down quickly, while others can hang around for centuries.

Let's take a look at how long some common household items can take to decompose in a landfill:

Plastic: The poster child of landfill longevity, plastic can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose, depending on the type . That plastic water bottle could be outlasting your grandchildren!
Food Scraps: Thankfully, these decompose much faster, typically within a few weeks to months. In fact, some landfills capture methane gas produced by decomposing food scraps to generate energy!
Paper Products: Cardboard breaks down relatively quickly, in 3 months to a year, while treated wood and glossy magazines can take much longer.
Metals: Aluminum cans are surprisingly resilient, lasting hundreds of years in a landfill. The good news is that they're also highly recyclable.
Clothing: Natural fibers like cotton and wool will eventually decompose, though it can take months to centuries. Synthetic fabrics made of polyester and nylon can take much longer.

So what can you do?

Landfills are reaching capacity, and these long-lasting decomposers aren't exactly doing us any favors. Here are some ways to reduce your landfill footprint:

Recycle! Check your local recycling guidelines and make sure you're recycling everything you can.
Reuse! Get creative! Can that old jar become a vase? Can that ripped shirt be turned into cleaning cloths?
Buy with landfill life in mind! Choose products with minimal packaging and those made from recycled materials.
Compost food scraps! This keeps them out of landfills and creates nutrient-rich soil for your garden.

By making small changes to our consumption habits, we can all do our part to extend the lifespan of our landfills and protect our environment. Remember, the less we throw away, the less ends up taking up space (and time) in our landfills!