In the 1950s, scientists invented a new material that would change the world forever: plastic. Cheap, durable, sanitary, strong, and light – and, as we have seen in the years since, very, very difficult to get rid of once we are through with it. About 70 percent of our discarded plastic winds up in open dumps or landfills, but much winds up in an even worse place: the ocean. David Pogue reports on why, even with ramped-up recycling efforts, it is so hard to get rid of plastic.
