I have a few items in plastic bags that I've had stored for almost a decade, and I recently checked up on them in two different spots and was surprised that the plastic bags were shredded up as if it had been mauled by a large rat. The thing is, the storage places don't even have a hint of food close to them, so I highly doubt it was done by a rat, or at least I hope not. I'm wondering if this has happened to any of you or if anyone of our members here could possibly shed some light as to what might have happened. I'd most likely not be using plastic bags to store anymore, though, as the shredded bits are a big mess.
In some malls, they use biodegradable plastic bags that disintegrate after a certain period of time. So don't be surprised that some of your plastic bags are now in shreds. They say that these plastic bags are better for the environment as compared to the non biodegradable plastic bags.
Ah that has happened to me as well, but the plastic started to shred after only 2 years of just being stored. I'm sure you observed that no visible damage has been done to your things right, and you only noticed the plastic that looks torn and tattered? That's why I think paper bags are the more ideal places to store our things instead of plastic.
I think that the most likely is that animals are doing that to the bags to be honest, if not rats (and believe me that rats can eat anything even when there's no food around, from plastic to clothes), some other sort of insect for example could have eaten it. Plastic bags take decades to disintegrate, so I don't think that would happen in just a few years.
Yes they do disintegrate but not all though. Most malls and stores today use biodegradable plastic that breaks down after a couple of years. But most plastics are basically immortal and can only be disposed by either setting fire to them or letting them rot for a long time. You said you though it was a rat, well maybe it is. If the plastics are scattered and doesn't show any sign of discoloration then it just be a rat or some insect that tore though the plastic bags.
Most newer plastics are designed to break down in landfills. Some plastics are now being designed to accelerate decomposition in the presence of sunlight. in your situation, it is probably the natural breakdown of the bags at work. I will often grab an old bag from my pile and it will have started to break down. It you want a way to check, cut a square of plastic from a couple of bags and rum them between your hands. If the squares remain intact, the plastic is still viable and supple and has not begun to decompose. If the plastic tears or falls to pieces, it is decomposition.
Plastics degrade based on what type of plastic they actually are. I do know, though, that even with no food nearby, rats will still come every now and then. They may use it for bedding, or if they do stumble by they may get caught up and are just trying to escape.
Yes they do. They are biodegradable. The problem with them is that although disintegrate, it takes a thousand year or even more for them to even start their degradation process. So what happens is that they pile up and pile up taking up a vast space without them being decreased in human's lifetime. In this way, they contribute to pollution by having them to be burnt so they would be gone and that the space they occupy will be used for something else. Because they are simply a trash after they have been used, they simply just don't have a place here to stay without ageing for a thousand year or more.
I have a lot of older magazines with the "biodegradable" wrappers. The pieces get tiny and sick all over the place. Are these possibly toxic? Especially to small animals?
Some of them do most of them don't. I think most stores and malls today offer biodegradable plastics and in your case maybe you got those ones. Or maybe bugs get the best out of your plastics though.
Yes they do sometimes. I think it's illegal to have non biodegradable plastics anymore, well in my place it is illegal. But regardless maybe your plastics were just torn by rats, if they're scattered all over the place they probably were.
