1
What is the most commonly littered item in the world?
Cigarette butts
True or false: It's okay to throw a banana peel on the ground, since it's biodegradable.
False. Even though it's a natural material, throwing food outside interferes with the environment. It also ruins the view and can stink up the place!
On average, how long does a person use a single-use plastic bag before throwing it away?
12 minutes
What percent of plastics produced since the 1950s still exists in our environment today? 30%, 50%, 73%, 100%?
100% - plastics take hundreds or thousands of years to break down
How many years does it take for a plastic bag to decompose? 100, 1000, 1,000,000, or never?
Never. They just break down into smaller pieces, but their chemical composition never changes.
How much plastic waste does the average American generate each year?
285 pounds.
How many plastic water bottles
do Americans throw away every year?
25 million
500 million
10 billion
35 billion
35 billion - enough to circle the Earth 4 times!
What percent of plastic do we use once and then throw it away? 25%, 33%, 50%, 70%?
50%
What is plastic made from?
Fossil fuels
On average, what percent of plastic is actually recycled - 9%, 21%, 35%, 50%?
9% - all other plastic goes to the landfill or dumped in our environment.
Where does most plastic end up?
In the oceans. Some of it does make it to the landfill or recycling centers, but most ends up in the ocean through purposeful dumping of garbage into waterways, inefficient waste management, and littering.
True or false: leaving trash beside a full trash can is not littering
False. If it's not in the can, it's litter. It can be blown away or eaten by wildlife.
True or False: There are 51 trillion microplastic particles in the ocean today - 500 times more than the number of stars in our galaxy
True. More than 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, and it doesn't biodegrade - it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that are almost impossible to clean up.
True or False: If our plastic use habits don't change, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050.
True. By weight, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. It's expected that plastic in the oceans will triple in the next 10 years.
Which country creates the most plastic waste?
China, U.S., Mexico, India?
United States - we produced about 46 million tons of plastic in 2016 alone.
How many drinking straws are you allowed to recycle? 100, 25 per month, unlimited, or none?
None. Plastic straws are not easily recyclable.
How many single-use plastics bags does the average person use in a year?
120, 350, 500, or 630?
500 bags
The chasing arrows symbol on an item means it is definitely recyclable.
False. Chasing arrows can mean that at item might be recyclable, but that doesn't mean it can go in your recycle cart. The symbol actually just identifies the type of plastic used to make the item.
What is the age group that litters most often? Under 30 years old, under 50, or 60+?
Research shows that people under the age of 30 are more likely to litter than those who are older.
True or False: Half of all seabirds are swallowing pieces of plastic waste
False: It's worse! It's estimated that 90% of seabirds have eaten plastic of some kind.
Why is plastic dangerous for creatures that live in the water?
If they think it's food, they can't digest it, and they get tangled in it which makes them unable to swim.
Which of these countries have NOT made a national ban on plastic bags? Kenya, US, China, Rwanda?
U.S.
Half of all plastics ever made have been made in the last ___ years.
8 years, 15 years, 20 years, 30 years?
15 years
True or false: Plastics are used to make fibers for carpets and clothing
True
Which of the following items do NOT contain plastic: bubble gum, glitter, magazines, scotch tape, balloons, wrapping paper, or none of the above?
None of the above.