A Way to Measure and Reduce the Environmental Effects of Plastics

We all know how bad plastic is for the environment. Plastics can be found almost everywhere, from the highest parts of the world, on Mount Everest, to the lowest, in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. But what makes plastic so bad? Is it the fact that it takes hundreds of years to break down, or is it the pollution made when we manufacture plastic? We can answer this question using a special method called a life cycle assessment, which measures the total effect plastic has on the environment. As you read this article, you will find out what a life cycle assessment is and how we use it to measure the impacts of plastic on our planet.