Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My daughter in 4th grade wants to do a science fair project related to how much plastic are we consuming unknowingly on a day to day basis. I am not sure how to measure it
to prove the amount of plastic consumption and how to make it testable and measurable. Any ideas ?

Hello,
This seems to be a very large undertaking for a fourth grade science project. A good idea would be to narrow down your topic before you start researching. This could be something like "What are micro plastics?" or if you want something more measurable you can test the movement of micro plastics throughout a model ocean system, which can then be applied to real world tendencies. I hope this helps and please reach out if you have any other questions.

How do we measure microplastics - is it through the use of filters ?
Can you expand a bit more on how to create an ocean model & how do we make the measurement of microplastics ?

Hello,
There is no at home technology that measures micro plastics since they are so incredibly small. For this you would have to use data that you find through research. The ocean model would just be a container with water and whatever extent of ocean features you would like to help serve as a visual to back up the statistics you find. Hope this helps and feel free to reach out with more questions.