Read these sentences from the selection.

"Plastic takes a long time to break down, and it can cause harm to animals and the environment." (Paragraph 1)"Even plant life isn’t safe from the effects of plastic."(Paragraph 5)"Through the water table and food chain, the chemicals in plastic can also make their way into the human body." (Paragraph 5)

Which idea does the author communicate with these sentences?

Read this sentence from the selection.

"This useful material is used in a variety of products, in a variety of forms, all over the globe."

This sentence connects to paragraph 3 because both of them discuss —

Read these sentences from the selection.

Even with this knowledge, people throw away more and more plastic each day. (Paragraph 1)At best, it goes to recycling centers, but most of it ends up in landfills. (Paragraph 4)Try to recycle everything you can, and find ways to use Earth-friendly, reusable materials to replace plastic items. (Paragraph 8)

These sentences work together to help the author explain that —

Read this sentence from paragraph 1.

"Recycling statistics are disappointing."

At what point does the author return to this idea to explain it in more detail?