by Vicky Stein
The average person uses a typical plastic bag for as short a time as 12 minutes before throwing it away, never thinking of where it may end up.
Yet once consigned to a landfill, that standard grocery store tote takes hundreds or thousands of years to break down — much more than a human lifetime. Bags make up an alarming amount of the plastic found in whale stomachs or bird nests, and it’s no wonder — globally, we use between 1 and 5 trillion plastic bags each year.
Biodegradable plastic bags are marketed as more eco-friendly solutions, able to break down into harmless material more quickly than traditional plastics. One company claims their shopping bag “will degrade and biodegrade in a continuous, irreversible and unstoppable process” if it ends up as litter in the environment.
1 of 7
Question
Use the article to answer the question.
How does the “What scientists found” section address the issue in the article’s title?
(1 point)
Responses
Standardizing the materials used to create biodegradable plastics will help make recycling and reusing them easier and more profitable.
Standardizing the materials used to create biodegradable plastics will help make recycling and reusing them easier and more profitable.
Compostable bags break down better in high temperatures where bacteria can grow.
Compostable bags break down better in high temperatures where bacteria can grow.
It is not clear whether biodegradable plastic bags break down into small pieces of plastic or if they become molecules that can be dissolved in water.
It is not clear whether biodegradable plastic bags break down into small pieces of plastic or if they become molecules that can be dissolved in water.
Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes before they are thrown away.
1 answer
The correct response is:
"It is not clear whether biodegradable plastic bags break down into small pieces of plastic or if they become molecules that can be dissolved in water."
This response addresses the issue in the article's title by highlighting the uncertainty and potential shortcomings of biodegradable plastic bags, indicating that they may not be as effective or truly biodegradable as they are marketed to be.
