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Do plastic bags really take 500 years to break down in a landfill?

http://www.slate.com/id/2193256/?from=rss Do plastic bags really take 500 years to break down in a landfill? The Chinese government has announced a ban on plastic bags to curb waste and pollution. Shop owners who violate the ban, which went into effect this month, will be punished by fines or by confiscation of goods. In a 2007 “Explainer,” Juliet Lapidos asked how scientists determine decomposition rates for plastic bags and other waste objects. The original article is reprinted below. [more …] 6/9/2008