And while some plastics degrade into smaller and smaller particles in sunlight, others like polypropylene (number five plastic) can stay intact for millennia. Apart from a few rare findings of organisms that can break down select types of plastic, most plastic keeps its molecular form indefinitely. That’s because plastic doesn’t biodegrade like organic material. That plastic chair could still remain intact thousands of years from now. Once plastic gets released into nature, it never quite fades from memory, as we wish it would. The problem comes when we have to throw away our plastic objects: old plastic toys, kitchen gadgets and old shampoo bottles. As long as it doesn’t break, we’re grateful for its durability.
It’s crazy how something as cheap as a plastic lawn chair will appear new for decades.
