A video of a team removing a plastic straw lodged in a sea turtle’s nose (Links to an external site.) garnered a large audience and drew attention to the plastic pollution problem has resulted in an increasing number of plastic bans targetting single-use items like plastic grocery bags and straws. However, most attention is on plastic in our oceans (National Geographic). (Links to an external site.) (National Geographic). Plastic pollution is a terrestrial problem, too. The 2nd mini-lesson introduces a few problems associated with plastics in the soil.
Do plastic product bans (e.g. grocery bags, straws) work? Explain why or why not.
