Discover how nature transforms materials into essential nutrients for the ecosystem. Read now about the decomposition of materials in the environment.
What is decomposition?
Decomposition is the process of disintegration of a product. The decomposition time varies depending on the type of material the product is made from.
In the case of organic matter, decomposition is carried out by fungi and bacteria, which results in soluble forms full of nutrients that can be absorbed by plants.
Inorganic materials, such as glass and aluminum, can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose, which ends up harming the soil and the environment as a whole.
What is the function of decomposition?
The function of decomposition is to be responsible for maintaining the food chain, as it takes nutrients back to nature that feed the soil, producing healthy plants.
Fungal and bacterial food is produced through decomposition.
Decomposition: examples
Examples of progressive decomposition are the rotting and putrefaction of any type of food, be it a fruit, a vegetable or a piece of meat.
Another example is the decomposition of waste, which consists of the gradual disintegration of a product, such as plastic and paper, varying depending on the type of soil and disposal carried out.
Biodegradable products are those that decompose quickly when compared to traditional ones and that can be absorbed by nature. You bioplastics, made from plants such as soy, sugar cane, corn or cassava.
How important is decomposition?
Decomposition is important for the environment because it causes nutrients from organic matter, such as leaves, bark, seeds, to return to nature to nourish the soil.
With nutrients available, living beings can use them for their development.
Furthermore, commercial decomposition can generate biogas, which contains methane, a gas used to generate electrical or thermal energy.
How does decomposition work?
The decomposition of organic matter is a complex natural process carried out by microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria, which are called decomposers.
The first phase of decomposition is autolysis, which consists of the self-destruction of a cell in dead organisms. This process is carried out through cellular enzymes, lysosomes.
What results from this process serves as food for fungi and bacteria.
Decomposition depends on factors such as temperature, humidity and oxygen. The warmer and more humid the environment, the faster decomposition will be.
Decomposition time of materials
The decomposition time of materials varies depending on the type of soil, climate and the environment where the material was discarded.
Among inorganic materials, plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose, while glass and aluminum only disappear in thousands of years.
Therefore, recycling is essential.
In the case of organic matter, such as bark, leaves, fruits, vegetables, etc., decomposition occurs quickly in hot and humid environments, taking between two and six months.
See below some of the decomposition time of some materials:
- Newspaper: from 2 to 6 weeks;
- Paper packaging: from 3 to 6 months;
- Matches and cigarette butts: 2 years;
- Gum: 5 years;
- Nylon: 30 years
- Aluminum cans: from 200 to 500 years;
- Polystyrene: 400 years;
- Plastics: more than 450 years old;
- Disposable diaper: 450 years.
What are the phases of decomposition?
The phases of decomposition of organic matter are mesophilic, and thermophilic and maturation. The organic compost obtained at the end of these phases can become fertilizer for plants.
- Mesophilic: lasts an average of 15 days. Microorganisms, especially bacteria, metabolize the simplest molecules at mild temperatures that do not exceed 40° W.
- Mesophilic: It generally takes two months. It is marked by the presence of fungi and bacteria that degrade more complex molecules at higher temperatures. As it is a phase in which the temperature can reach 700 C, the compound is sanitized, killing pathogenic microorganisms.
- Maturation: takes about two months. In this phase, bacterial activity is reduced, the temperature gradually drops and the acidity decreases and humus is formed.
Plastic decomposition time
The time of decomposition of plastic it may vary depending on the type of product made from this material, the environment where it was discarded, the type of soil, among other factors.
Plastic bags decompose within 20 years. A plastic straw can take up to 200 years to disappear completely.
The most worrying thing is that plastics are already being detected in the human body. For the first time, scientists found microplastics in human blood.
Furthermore, by 2050 plastics will be responsible for emitting 6.5 gigatons of CO2 into the atmosphere, according to report of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the main environmental authority of the United Nations (UN) system.
Given this scenario, iFood's priority is to eliminate plastic pollution in delivery, promote sustainable delivery and encourage the production of sustainable packaging.
See these and other company initiatives in favor of sustainability:
iFood Regenerates
iFood's positive impact plan, the iFood Regenerates, is committed to neutralizing polluting gas emissions and eliminating plastic pollution from delivery by 2025.
The company is the first in Brazil to be part of the UN Global Compact, the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world.
#PlasticFree
With a commitment to reducing and eliminating plastic items in delivery, iFood joined the campaign in 2021 #PlasticFree.
The campaign was organized by PNUMA and Oceana, the largest non-profit ocean protection organization.
In eight months, it involved 120,000 partner establishments and more than 130 million orders were delivered without sending single-use plastics.
Recycle Orla
O Recycle Orla is a project carried out in partnership with the Orla Rio project and the startup Polen, where iFood periodically promotes a cleaning campaign on Copacabana beach.
Since 2021, when the partnership began, more than 320 tons of trash have been removed from the sands of Rio's beach.
Food decomposition: how important is it?
Food decomposition, when done correctly, whether in domestic or commercial composters, can eliminate significant amounts of waste in landfills.
Garbage generation in Brazil is 379.2 kg per capita annually. In other words, every year a person produces more than 300 kilos of garbage in one year, an average of one kilo per day.
The data is part of the report Panorama of Solid Waste in Brazil 2020, from the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies (Abrelpe).
Additionally, composting produces natural fertilizers for plants: humus and slurry.
Decomposition and fertilizer: understand the relationship
Through the controlled decomposition of residues of plant origin, organic compounds are obtained, which are natural fertilizers of excellent quality.
Urban organic waste, such as traces of garden pruning, dry leaves and food waste, such as peels and seeds, can be sent to compost.
Composting, which can be domestic or commercial, is a form of natural recycling that results in fertilizer that will nourish plants and the soil.
How to promote the natural decomposition of materials?
Promoting the natural decomposition of materials must be a practice encouraged and promoted by everyone: government, society, private sector and citizens.
One way to reduce waste in landfills is to urban composting, it is the domestic, with the installation of compost bins in appropriate sizes, whether the commercial.
Another form of proper disposal is the separation of waste for recycling, through selective collect or delivery of waste to collection points, such as iFood Sustainable Hub.
5 steps to reduce the use of disposables in companies
Reducing disposables in companies requires a set of relatively simple actions, from replacements to waste separation, which can be implemented by everyone.
An effective initiative is reverse logistic, as is the case with iFood's partnership with Eurecycle, company specializing in reverse packaging logistics.
In addition to generating cost reduction and avoiding the use of disposables, it is an urgent and essential measure in view of the increase consumption of these items, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
See below 5 tips to reduce the use of disposables:
- Replace plastic cups with mugs and individual cups made of materials such as glass, ceramic or metal, which can be sanitized and used again;
- Separate recyclable waste, such as clean paper and packaging, cardboard, glass, plastic and metals for recycling;
- Print only what is necessary and, whenever possible, reuse sheets for printing;
- Replace paper towels with cloth towels whenever possible;
- Have bins separated by type of waste to encourage and facilitate the process of separating recyclables.
