Final answer:
To calculate the amount of waste that can be diverted from the landfill, multiply the amount of compostable waste per day by the number of days in a year. Therefore, by composting, a family of three can potentially divert 1368.75 pounds of waste from the landfill annually.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the amount of waste that can be diverted from the landfill in one year for a family of three people, we need to use the given information.
First, let's calculate the total amount of waste produced by a family of three in one day.
The average American produces five pounds of waste per day, so a family of three would produce 5 pounds x 3 people = 15 pounds of waste per day.
Next, we need to calculate the amount of waste that can be composted. The question states that 25% of the waste can be composted, so 25% of 15 pounds = 3.75 pounds of waste can be composted per day.
Finally, to calculate the amount of waste that can be diverted from the landfill in one year, we multiply the amount of compostable waste per day by the number of days in a year.
Assuming there are 365 days in a year, the amount of waste that can be diverted from the landfill in one year is 3.75 pounds x 365 days = 1368.75 pounds of waste.