Things in the ditch in Arizona don't necessarily break down the way they might in Michigan, for instance. Or Alabama. Conditions are dry and hot so unless something will readily degrade from heat or sunlight, it might sit around for years and years. Even banana peels have a way of lasting far longer than you might think. I don't know how many times I've been out riding my bike and noticed strips of what I call "banana leather" along the road from other cyclists who toss them to the side thinking they will quickly biodegrade. There aren't too many critters out there that will eat the bitter peel of a banana.
If you look at the picture above you will see the original bag on the left and the new bag on the right. Other than the one on the left looking dirtier, there doesn't appear to be much difference. The differences are subtle and you can't much see them in the picture, but if there was audio (I might do this sometime!) you'd hear a difference in the crinkle factor.
There probably won't be an update next week because of the Tour of California, but hopefully there will be a few ToC updates in its place!
