How long would it take a plastic bag to degrade?

Answer:

Depends on the plastic.
A polyethylene or polypropylene bag is good pretty much forever if kept away from strong sunlight (e.i. buried in a landfill). Exposed to sunlight's UV it slowly becomes brittle and flakes away.
Bags with a degradable component like cornstarch or cellulose degrade under biological attack and other factors.

First answer by Woodwose. Last edit by Woodwose. Contributor trust: 786 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].