Let's Find Out How Green Are You?
Are you a champion for the planet or just a casual recycler? Test your recycling smarts with this quiz!
- 1.
Americans throw away enough trash to fill __ garbage trucks every day.
- A.
5,500
- B.
109,00
- C.
63,000
Correct Answer
C. 63,000Explanation
The average American throws out 4.5 pounds of waste daily, which combined could fill 63,000 garbage trucks. Lined up end to end during the course of one year, this many garbage trucks would stretch halfway to the moon!Rate this question:
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- 2.
Recycling rates in America have ______ since 1980.
- A.
Slowly decreased
- B.
More than tripled
- C.
Stayed about the same
Correct Answer
B. More than tripledExplanation
Recycling rates have increased over time: Americans recycled only 9.6% of all waste in 1980, whereas today we recycle nearly 35%.Rate this question:
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- 3.
How much does waste disposal cost the United States annually?
- A.
More than $100 billion
- B.
Approximately $900 million
- C.
Between $40 and $60 billion
Correct Answer
A. More than $100 billionExplanation
Garbage isn’t cheap! Local governments across the United States together spend upwards of $100 billion each year managing waste.Rate this question:
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- 4.
What percentage of Americans recycles regularly?
- A.
50%
- B.
35%
- C.
75%
Correct Answer
B. 35%Explanation
Businesses recycle even less, only 10%.Rate this question:
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- 5.
Which of these three things gets recycled the least?
- A.
Plastic
- B.
Yard trimmings
- C.
Glass
Correct Answer
A. PlasticExplanation
Only 14% of plastic gets recycled, while 58% of yard trimmings and 34% of glass are recycled.Rate this question:
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- 6.
How much food goes to waste in the US each year?
- A.
11 billion pounds
- B.
133 billion pounds
- C.
84 billion pounds
Correct Answer
B. 133 billion poundsExplanation
Every year, Americans throw away about one third of our available food supply. 97% of this goes to the landfill.Rate this question:
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- 7.
How many plastic water bottles did Americans use last year?
- A.
1 billion
- B.
50 billion
- C.
25 billion
Correct Answer
B. 50 billionExplanation
Of those 50 billion, 38 billion were thrown away instead of recycled.Rate this question:
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- 8.
The energy equivalent saved by recycling one ton of paper is _______.
- A.
165 gallons of gasoline
- B.
320 gallons of gasoline
- C.
80 gallons of gasoline
Correct Answer
A. 165 gallons of gasolineExplanation
Each year, the average American uses roughly 700 pounds of paper. That translates to over 100,000,000 tons of paper across the US.Rate this question:
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- 9.
What kind of waste takes up the most landfill space?
- A.
Food waste
- B.
Textile waste
- C.
Glass waste
Correct Answer
A. Food wasteExplanation
Food is the winner here, with 21.1% of all waste discards belonging in this category. Textiles make up 11.2%, while glass makes up 5.1%.Rate this question:
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- 10.
How long does it take for aluminum to degrade in the landfill?
- A.
200-500 years
- B.
90-100 years
- C.
10-25 years
Correct Answer
A. 200-500 yearsExplanation
Aluminum is one of the easiest materials to recycle, so there’s no reason to throw it in the landfill.Rate this question:
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- 11.
Which country has the highest recycling rate in the world?
- A.
United States
- B.
Austria
- C.
France
Correct Answer
B. AustriaExplanation
Austria leads in world recycling rates, with 63% of their waste diverted from landfills. The United States’ rate is on the lower end of the developed world, with only a 34% recycling rate. France is just slightly better at 35%.Rate this question:
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- 12.
Americans make up 5% of the global population, but create __ of the world’s garbage.
- A.
10%
- B.
25%
- C.
30%
Correct Answer
C. 30%Explanation
Americans generate much more than their fair share of waste. The U.S. also consumes more energy per capita than every country except Iceland.Rate this question:
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- 13.
Which item do Americans recycle 95% of?
- A.
Batteries
- B.
Newspapers
- C.
Clothing
Correct Answer
A. BatteriesExplanation
Batteries are mostly diverted from the landfill, with 95% of them being recycled properly. Batteries contain lead, which can leach into the local environment if disposed of in a landfill.Rate this question:
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- 14.
About how many pounds of clothing does the average American throw away every year?
- A.
65-70
- B.
20-25
- C.
45-50
Correct Answer
A. 65-70Explanation
That’s the equivalent of 191 t-shirts!Rate this question:
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- 15.
What percentage of textiles is recycled in the U.S.?
- A.
45%
- B.
3%
- C.
15%
Correct Answer
C. 15%Explanation
11.9 million of the 14 million tons of textile waste generated each year ends up in the landfill.Rate this question:
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- 16.
How many pounds of CO2 are saved for every pound of recycled textiles?
- A.
1
- B.
7
- C.
4
Correct Answer
C. 4Explanation
Approximately 3-4 pounds of CO2 are prevented from entering the atmosphere for every one pound of textiles that is kept out of the landfill.Rate this question:
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- 17.
How many trees are cut down each year to make paper?
- A.
1,000,000
- B.
4,000,000,000
- C.
12,000,000,000
Correct Answer
B. 4,000,000,000Explanation
Around the world, billions of trees are cut down to make all kinds of paper products, everything from books to cardboard to home insulation.Rate this question:
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- 18.
What happens to unwanted textiles that are donated to charities?
- A.
They are given away
- B.
They are sold on domestic and international markets
- C.
Some is given away to help the homeless and poor but most of it is sold
Correct Answer
C. Some is given away to help the homeless and poor but most of it is soldExplanation
The truth is that a small portion for the clothing donated to charities is given to the poor and homeless, while most of it is sold on domestic and international markets. The reason it is not all given away in the United States or elsewhere is twofold; 1) there are simply not enough poor to accept the millions of tons of unwanted textiles generated in the United States each year, and 2) giving away clothing to other countries would constitute “dumping” and would undermine the vast secondhand clothing economy that exists in all developing countries.Rate this question:
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- 19.
What are some items that can be made from recycled textiles?
- A.
Park benches, tires, swimming pools
- B.
Dollar bills, home insulation, baseballs
- C.
Livestock feed, industrial lubricants, newspaper
Correct Answer
B. Dollar bills, home insulation, baseballsExplanation
Shredded recycled fabric (often denim) is placed in walls to provide sound and thermal insulation; the winding in a baseball is made from recycled fibers; and dollar bills are made from recycled cloth too, which is why they can withstand washings! None of the other items use recycled textiles.Rate this question:
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- 20.
What is single-stream recycling?
- A.
An approach for collecting litter along river banks
- B.
An engineering method for removing waste liquids from recycled materials
- C.
When recyclable materials are collected together and separated out later
Correct Answer
C. When recyclable materials are collected together and separated out laterExplanation
In single-stream, materials are delivered to a “materials recovery facility,” which uses a variety of different machines to separate out each material. A single-stream system makes it much more convenient for consumers to recycle as they simply put everything into one bin. The disadvantage of this system is that there is a greater expense in sorting the materials and in removing contaminants and trash.Rate this question:
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Quiz Review Timeline +
Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.
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Current Version
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Mar 21, 2022Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team -
Jan 08, 2016Quiz Created by
PlanetAid
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