How much trash do you throw away after lunch at school?

Grade level: 4-5th grades

Skills: Multiplication & Division

Related environmental issues: Recycle

On average,  each school-age child throws away 67 pounds of trash a year from the packaging that comes with their lunch. Most of the trash ends up in landfills.

  1. For 12 years of the course of the school, on average, how many pounds of trash does a child throw away for their lunch?
  2. Ben started to pack food in reusable lunch containers and bring unusable utensils to school. He was able to reduce 75% of his trash for his lunch. How many pounds of trash does Ben throw away for their lunch a year now?

Source: US EPA

Photo: NBC News


Answer keys

1. 804 pounds    (67 x 12 = 804)

2. 16.75 pounds (67 / 4 = 16.75)