Organic Waste Quiz

Recycling is one of the easiest actions people take to help the environment. When we recycle we divert waste from the landfill which extends the life of landfills and reduces methane emissions (a potent greenhouse gas). Recycling brings new uses to tossed items, which conserves virgin materials (like trees), energy, and water. According to waste studies, 50% of the trash we throw in our trash bins can be diverted by recycling or composting.

Organic

1. Where should soiled pizza boxes be thrown away?

  1. Green compost bin
  2. Blue recycling bin
  3. Returned to the store

2. Are paper towels and napkins recyclable?

  1. No
  2. Yes

3.  Where should you put your fruit and vegetable scraps?

  1. Blue recycling bin
  2. Green compost bin
  3. Black trash bin

4. Which of following items CAN'T be thrown into the green composting bin?

  1. Meat and Bones
  2. Chinese food carry-out boxes
  3. Wine corks
  4. Diapers

5. Where should you put juice pouches?

  1. Blue recycling bin
  2. Green compost bin
  3. Black trash bin

6. Where should you put food-soiled paper (napkins, pizza boxes, paper towels, paper plates, paper cups)?

  1. Blue recycling bin
  2. Black trash bin
  3. Green compost bin

7. If we produce food that doesn't get eaten, what else is wasted?

  1. Wildlife Habitat
  2. Water
  3. Energy
  4. All of the above

8. What percent of food never gets eaten worldwide?

  1. 30%
  2. 50%
  3. 10%
  4. 85%

9. What food, when wasted, represents the biggest waste of energy?

  1. Milk
  2. Poultry
  3. Corn
  4. Beef

10. How much seafood goes to waste in the US?

  1. 20%
  2. 25%
  3. 45%
  4. 50%
  1. A - Green composting bin; Even though they are made of cardboard, food soiled pizza boxes are best composted instead of recycled due to pizza residues on the box.
  2. No - No; Its better to keep the cap on bottles to prevent food from leaking. Same goes for keeping lids on containers and jars
  3. B - Green composting bin; 
  4. D - Diapers
  5. C - Black trash bin
  6. C - Green composting bin
  7. D - All of the Above; When food is wasted, all of those resources are also thrown out. In addition, about 10% of all human-caused greenhouse gases contributing to climate change are linked to food waste.
  8. A - 30%; Waste happens in every link of our food supply chain - from the fruit that never makes it off the farm to the vegetables you forgot were in your fridge.
  9. D - Beef; It takes about 25 times more energy to produce a calorie of beef than to produce one calorie of corn for people to eat. Animal proteins tend to require more energy- and land and water-to produce than plant proteins.
  10. C - 45%; Between 40% and 47% of seafood goes to waste in the US.