Recycling: How Much Do You Really Know? Test Your Knowledge

by Farmers' Almanac Staff | Posted In: Home and Garden

Recycling has numerous positive benefits for people and the environment. It reduces landfill waste, creates jobs, saves money, and conserves natural resources. Take this quiz and see how much you know about recycling!

Recycling Quiz

Step 1 of 10

10%

• 1. The first major recycling center in America opened in what year?
  • 1896
  • 1957
  • 1972
  • 1985

• 2. On average, how many pounds of paper does one person use in a year?
  • 10
  • 55
  • 360
  • 500

• 3. Approximately how many curbside recycling programs are there in the U.S.?
  • 500
  • 950
  • 2,000
  • 8,500

• 4. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power:
  • a 100-watt light bulb for 20 hours
  • a television for 2 hours
  • a computer for 3 hours
  • Any of the above

• 5. Glass can be recycled:
  • Indefinitely
  • 100 times
  • Five times
  • Only once

• 6. Each year, the recycling of steel saves enough energy to supply Los Angeles with electricity for how long?
  • One month
  • One year
  • Five years
  • Ten years

• 7. Polystyrene (more commonly known as Styrofoam) is recyclable.
  • True
  • Sometimes true
  • False

• 8. How many trees could be saved each year if 100,000 people stopped their junk mail?
  • 1,000
  • 75,000
  • 150,000
  • 200,000

• 9. One gallon of improperly disposed of motor oil can contaminate:
  • 100 gallons of water
  • 1,000 gallons of water
  • 100,000 gallons of water
  • 1 million gallons of water

• 10. How many tons of used electronics such as computers and televisions are thrown away each year?
  • 1,000 tons
  • 500,000 tons
  • 2 million tons
  • 4 million tons

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4 comments

1 Susan Higgins { 04.20.18 at 2:35 pm }

Hi Christine, we have some good information that you might find helpful.
Recycling clothes unfit for donation: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/recycle-clothes-27121
Recycling unusual items: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/yes-you-can-recycle-these-items-23138
And you’ll love this company that recycles old lobster fishing ropes and turns them into door mats! https://store.farmersalmanac.com/FARM/p-FA___CCRIGHTMAT

2 Christine Santee { 04.18.18 at 6:32 pm }

The questions were alright, but I think a real test of the practical application of what to recycle and how to recycle would be more fitting to an audience who would take the time to test their knowledge. For example:where to recycle corks from wine, cooking oil and other bottles; batteries; paint cans; old clothing unfit for charities; used shoes; used outdoor rugs; plastic coated ice cream bar wrappers; when to wash an article before placing it in a recycle container;old pillows. Thank You, Christine Santee

3 dmarshallfa { 04.18.18 at 9:35 am }

Hi Suzanne,

This site gives you suggestions for stopping junk mail: http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail

4 Suzanne { 04.18.18 at 7:01 am }

How do you stop junkmail?

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