Plastic, Pollution and Everyday Choices
Explore where plastic pollution comes from, how recycling works, and what makes an everyday choice better for the environment.
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Questions with solutions-
1. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
How could the wrapper reach the creek?
A snack wrapper lies beside a storm drain. Water from this drain flows directly into a nearby creek.
- Rain could wash it through the drain.
- The drain could send it through a recycling facility.
- It would first have to pass through a sewage treatment plant.
Show solution
- Rain could wash it through the drain.
Storm drains can carry street litter into waterways. Plastic does not have to be dropped directly into water to pollute it.
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2. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
Which action prevents disposable bottle waste during the trip?
You already own a refillable water bottle. There is a safe drinking-water refill station where you are going.
- Buy a disposable bottle and recycle it afterward.
- Bring your bottle and refill it.
- Buy a disposable bottle made with recycled plastic.
Show solution
- Bring your bottle and refill it.
Refilling avoids using another disposable bottle. Recycling deals with waste after it has been created.
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3. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
What determines whether this container belongs in your recycling bin?
A plastic takeout container has a triangle with a number inside. Your local recycling program accepts only certain types of containers.
- Whether the triangle is printed clearly.
- Whether the container is made of any kind of plastic.
- Whether the local program accepts that type of container.
Show solution
- Whether the local program accepts that type of container.
The number identifies the plastic type; it does not guarantee local acceptance. Recycling rules depend on what a program can collect and process.
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4. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
What trade-off does this example show?
A thin plastic covering can protect some foods from damage and help them last longer. However, the covering also creates packaging waste.
- Less packaging always means less food waste.
- Packaging can create waste while helping prevent food waste.
- Food protection makes packaging disposal unnecessary.
Show solution
- Packaging can create waste while helping prevent food waste.
Wasted food also wastes the resources used to grow and transport it. A useful comparison considers both the packaging and the food it protects.
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5. रिकामी जागा भरा.
Many car tires contain synthetic rubber. Small particles collect on roads as tires wear down, and rain can carry them into streams. This means ___ can cause plastic pollution even without littering.
- fuel evaporation
- metal corrosion
- tire wear
Show solution
Many car tires contain synthetic rubber. Small particles collect on roads as tires wear down, and rain can carry them into streams. This means tire wear can cause plastic pollution even without littering.
Tire particles are one source of microplastic pollution. Plastic pollution includes particles released during everyday use, not just discarded objects.
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6. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
Which conclusion follows from the label?
A cup is labeled “industrially compostable.” Its instructions require controlled conditions at a suitable facility. Your garden compost pile does not provide those conditions.
- The cup should break down equally well in the garden pile.
- The label does not guarantee that the cup will break down in the garden pile.
- The cup should go into ordinary plastic recycling instead.
Think about the conditions the label requires.
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- The label does not guarantee that the cup will break down in the garden pile.
Industrial composting provides controlled conditions that home composting may not offer. A facility must also accept the particular item.
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7. रिकामी जागा भरा.
Sunlight and weather can make a plastic bottle brittle. If it breaks into smaller solid pieces that remain plastic, it has undergone ___, not complete biodegradation.
- fragmentation
- evaporation
- dissolution
Show solution
Sunlight and weather can make a plastic bottle brittle. If it breaks into smaller solid pieces that remain plastic, it has undergone fragmentation, not complete biodegradation.
Smaller pieces do not mean the plastic has disappeared. Fragmentation can make pollution harder to collect and remove.
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8. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
Why does repeated use matter in this comparison?
A sturdy reusable bag requires more resources to make than a very thin disposable bag, but it can carry groceries on many trips.
- Each use changes the bag into a recyclable material.
- Repeated use removes the resources needed to manufacture it.
- Its manufacturing impact can be spread across more shopping trips.
Show solution
- Its manufacturing impact can be spread across more shopping trips.
The number of uses affects the impact per trip. There is no single break-even point for every reusable bag; materials and other conditions matter.
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9. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
Which conclusion do these tests support?
Polyester clothing can release plastic fibers during washing. In matched laundry tests, fewer fibers left the washing machine when a filter was installed.
- The filter reduced the number of fibers leaving the machine.
- The filter stopped the clothing from shedding any fibers.
- The filter made the captured plastic fibers biodegradable.
Show solution
- The filter reduced the number of fibers leaving the machine.
Capturing fibers is different from preventing them from being released. The captured fibers still need appropriate disposal.
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10. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
What is the main recycling difficulty described here?
A snack pouch combines plastic and metal layers to protect its contents. The available recycling process handles these materials separately but cannot separate the pouch's bonded layers.
- The pouch is too light to contain useful material.
- The materials cannot be separated for the available process.
- Neither plastic nor metal can ever be recycled.
Show solution
- The materials cannot be separated for the available process.
Materials that are recyclable separately can be difficult to recycle when bonded together. Product design affects what recycling systems can recover.
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11. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
What can these survey results establish about the cause of the decrease?
A town introduced a restriction on disposable plastic bags. During the same period, it also increased street cleaning. Later surveys found fewer bags on the streets, but there was no comparison area.
- The bag restriction alone caused the entire decrease.
- The extra street cleaning alone caused the entire decrease.
- The two changes had equally large effects.
- The survey results alone cannot separate the effects of the two changes.
More than one thing changed during the same period.
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- The survey results alone cannot separate the effects of the two changes.
A decrease after a policy change does not reveal its exact effect when another relevant change happened too. A suitable comparison could help separate their effects.
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12. योग्य उत्तर निवडा.
Which conclusion is best supported?
In a hypothetical comparison, one bag creates less plastic litter but requires more energy to manufacture than another. The comparison excludes transport, repeated use, and disposal.
- Less plastic litter proves that the bag has a lower overall environmental impact.
- Higher manufacturing energy proves that the bag is worse in every environmental category.
- Neither measure alone establishes which bag has a lower overall environmental impact.
- The two differences must cancel each other out.
Consider both the different impacts and the missing stages.
Show solution
- Neither measure alone establishes which bag has a lower overall environmental impact.
Environmental comparisons can involve competing benefits and costs. A life-cycle assessment examines impacts across stages, from production through use and disposal.