Curiosities: Garbage is out of the bag at the dump

Q. It has been my understanding that garbage in a plastic bag does not disintegrate as efficiently in the landfill as does garbage that is exposed to the elements. I understand it’s cleaner during the collection process, but does that override the long-term effects?
A. “The master variable that causes waste to decompose in a landfill is water,” explains Robert Ham, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison. “To the extent that a bag is secure and doesn’t allow water to flow through the waste, it will slow down decomposition.”