Does plastic disappear like magic? The Garden Club of LBI’s Environmental Committee is gearing up for an elementary school program developed by club member and former teacher Helen Comba that focuses on how long it takes the things we use every day to break down and disappear.

Comba said that in the past, the committee focused on educating children on recycling.

“But now we want to take it a step further, and talk about biodegradable items,” she said. “Some plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose.”

For example, single-use plastic grocery bags take about two decades to break down.