Take our quiz to learn how much waste is generated during the holidays.
How Much Waste is Generated During the Holidays?
1. Between Thanksgiving and New Year how much more trash is created than during the rest of the year?
a. 5,000 tons
b. 50,000 tons
c. 5 million tons
2. How many trees could be saved yearly if only 10% of holiday cards were sent electronically?
a. 3,000
b. 30,000
c. 300,000
3. What percentage of Americans said they would prefer the holidays be less about gift buying and more focused on the
important things in life?
a. 87%
b. 64%
c. 48%
4. How long does it take the average person to pay off holiday expenditures?
a. Up to 1 year
b. 4 to 6 months
c. 2 months
5. After holiday feasts and parties, how many pounds of food are thrown away?
a. 28 billion pounds
b. 14 million pounds
c. 1 million pounds
Answers:
1. c. 5 million tons. Americans throw away a million tons of trash weekly, but during the holidays there’s an
extra million per week, including 38,000 miles of ribbon and 4 million tons of shopping bags and gift wrapping.
2. b. 30,000 trees. Holiday cards account for about 750 million pieces of mail, enough to overflow a ten-story football
stadium.
3. a. 87%. Instead of material gifts, commemorate the holidays by sharing your time and talents.
4. c. It takes about 4 to 6 months for most credit card users to pay off holiday bills. The International Mass Retail
Association figures most Americans exceed their budgets by 15 to 30 percent annually around the holidays. Here’s Lending Tree’s holiday expense statistics.
5. a. 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted–more than 100 pounds per person nationwide. According to the EPA, 70 BILLION pounds of food waste occurs in the U.S. every year. Minimize the amount of food you prepare for parties, and donate leftovers to local food banks or homeless shelters.
