What About Our Waste?

Which country has the largest landfill in the world?

• China

• India

• Sweden

• United States

Answer explanation

The Apex Regional Landfill in Las Vegas, Nevada is the largest landfill in the world. In Sweden, however, less than 1% of waste goes to landfills.

Which state sends the LEAST amount of garbage to landfills per person?

• Alaska

• Connecticut

• Kansas

• Michigan

Answer explanation

Connecticut no longer has any active landfills. Instead, much of our garbage goes to resource recovery facilities where the trash is burned for fuel to generate electricity. This is called Waste to Energy.

How much trash does the average American throw out each DAY?

• 1 pound

• 3 pounds

• 5 pounds

• 7 pounds

Answer explanation

That's approaching a ton (~1,800 lbs.) of trash per PERSON every year! Waste for recycling accounts for an additional 550 lbs. of trash per person annually.

What makes up the majority of our waste in the U.S.?

• Food

• Clothing

• Paper

• Plastic

Answer explanation

Food and other organic waste (such as yard trimmings) account for more than a third of our waste. Practices such as eating leftovers, composting, and leaving brush for wildlife can decrease our organic waste.

About how many people litter in the U.S.?

• Every 1 in 2 (~50%)

• Every 1 in 5 (~20%)

• Every 1 in 10 (~10%)

• Every 1 in 20 (~5%)

Answer explanation

Out of all the people that are observed littering, over 80% do so intentionally. On the bright side, the amount of litter produced in a single year has decreased by half since 2009.

What happens to trash that goes down storm drains?

• It gets caught and sorted within the drain

• It flows into a waste management facility that cleans it

• Volunteer groups periodically clean the drains

• Nothing, it flows straight into the ocean

Answer explanation

While sewers filter and clean wastewater from homes, storm drains are meant to prevent excessive flooding. Any litter that goes down a Connecticut storm drain goes right into our waterways.

True or False: Each town in Connecticut has their own recycling rules they have to follow.

• True: different towns have different recycling rules

• False: recycling rules are state-wide policy

Answer explanation

While different towns may offer a variety of drop-off locations and collection services for recyclable materials, what items in your trash can and cannot be recycled are the same throughout Connecticut.

Which material is the MOST recyclable?

• Glass

• Paper

• Metal

• Plastic

Answer explanation

Out of all materials, metals such as steel and aluminum are the most recyclable at rates close to 100%. Plus, recycling an old aluminum can into a new can uses 95% less energy than making a brand-new can.

What percentage of plastic ACTUALLY gets recycled?

• 5%

• 10%

• 20%

• 40%

Answer explanation

Out of 51 million tons of plastic waste produced by the U.S. alone each year, just over 2 million tons gets recycled. Learning how to recycle properly can help increase the amount of plastic that can be recycled.

What will YOU do to help solve the waste problem?

Answer explanation

Thank you for taking the time to learn about waste and thinking of ways that YOU can make the waste problem better!