What's In a Number? Part II

544,000 – How many trees we could save if every U.S. household replaced just one roll of virgin-fiber paper towels with 100%-recycled paper towels.



40 – The percentage of solid mass in our landfills that’s made up of paper and paperboard waste.


200 – The number of pounds of meat, poultry and fish eaten by the average American in one year.


150 – The number of pounds the average American ate 50 years ago.


50 – The percentage of water American households devote to lawns, gardens and pools.


4.6 – How many pounds of trash the average American generates per day. Two and a half pounds of that trash goes to landfills; the remainder is recycled or incinerated.


1 Million – The number of trees ground up each year to produce junk mail.


28 – The number of plastic bags the average family of four uses per week.


180,000 – Tons of batteries thrown away by Americans every year.


6-10 – The percentage you can save off your heating costs by lowering the temperature on your hot-water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.


45 – Tons of CDs that end up in landfills and incinerators every month.


20 Million – The number of mattresses thrown away by Americans every year. Give yours away or recycle it instead. (Check Earth911.com for locations)


20 – Tons of mine waste left behind by the production of one gold ring.


150 – Dollars the average family would save per year by installing a programmable thermostat.


25 – Percentage of insecticides used on conventional cotton crops


25 Million – The extra tons of garbage Americans throw away during the Thanksgiving-to-New Year’s holiday period, as compared to the rest of the year. That’s about 1 million extra tons per week; 25% more than in an average week.


2.5 Million – The number of acres of open space – farms, forest, wetlands and prairie – we lose to development each year.