Friday is Earth Day. It’s a good time to consider how to
preserve our environment. Have you ever wondered how long it
takes a plastic grocery bag to disintegrate? The decomposition
rate chart presented on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s website
(http://www.deq.virginia.gov/recycle) shows the relative speed
of organic and inorganic materials. A banana peel takes 2-5
weeks (put up to three around a rose bush for a healthy
fertilizer), a newspaper 3-6 months (shred and add to your
compost pile), while a plastic bag will last a decade, a plastic
beverage container or tin can a century, an aluminum can 2-5
centuries. To save space for future generations, recycling is
the responsible thing to do. Where can you recycle your
disposables? The state’s recycling website provides very helpful
information for hard-to-dispose of items, such as computers and
automobile products. Learn how and where to properly dispose of
a variety of electronics, including cellphones, used oil, oil
filters, antifreeze, and old medications (d