Timelines - Plastics Longevity

Charles Moore says "Plastics, like diamonds, are forever". For a good introduction, read the "Why is plastic in the ocean a problem" section from his Algalita brochure.

Here are several overview timelines, showing how long different materials will last in a marine environment. You might be surprised - plywood lasts a few years, but a plastic 'disposable' diaper or a plastic water bottle last four to five hundred years.

The Texas 'Adopt A Beach' program created this visually dynamic timeline, illustrating how long it can take commonly used items to dissolve back into nature.

Here are some more tabular versions of similar information:

• This simple page shows how long some common things will stay in the ocean - from the Los Angeles, California stormwater program.
  
• And here's a more complete list - from the Long Beach Peninsula visitors bureau in Washington State.
• A similar Marine Debris Timeline - from the United States Environmental Protection Agency - Gulf of Mexico Program.
  

This timeline comes from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 15 islands about 3/4 of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines.

 
Here's another pictorial view
that you can download from the Irish Sea Fisheries Board