Plastic is a modern wonder. Humans have developed a material so versatile through our own ingenuity. It is both flexible yet strong, and has helped us make a cleaner, more convenient world for ourselves. Plastic, however, has a dark side. The material is not biodegradable. In other words, Earth cannot naturally break down plastic and naturally recycle its materials like it can with other materials humans have used in the past. This has led to an environmental crisis in the Pacific Ocean.