• Understand and use the rules for exponents
• Change numbers between scientific notation and standard notation
• Solve calculations using scientific notation

Plastic Pollution

^[1]The world produces around [latex]400[/latex] million metric tons of plastic waste each year. Every day, [latex]2,000[/latex] truckloads of it is dumped into the ocean, rivers and lakes.

Despite global efforts to give plastic products longer lives, only [latex]9\%[/latex] of them are actually recycled. Most plastic waste goes into landfills or is shipped to places like Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations, many of which are already drowning in their own plastic pollution.

As the world grapples with the plastic pollution crisis, innovative solutions are being developed. New recycling technologies are emerging, and researchers are studying the impact of microplastics on our environment. Let’s explore some of these aspects using scientific notation.

---