Environmental issues are an important topic that affects everyone. Riddles can be a fun and engaging way to get people thinking about the environment. Here are 53 riddles about the environment along with their answers.
Environment Riddles
Riddle 1
What gets whiter the dirtier it gets?
Answer: A chalkboard
Riddle 2
What has forests but no trees, lakes but no water, cities but no buildings?
Answer: A map
Riddle 3
When you throw something away, where does it go?
Answer: Nowhere – there is no “away”
Riddle 4
I’m tall when I’m young, short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer: A candle
Riddle 5
What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise
Riddle 6
What has to be broken before you can use it?
Answer: An egg
Riddle 7
I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for long. What am I?
Answer: Breath
Riddle 8
What goes up and down without moving?
Answer: Stairs
Riddle 9
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin
Riddle 10
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel
Riddle 11
David’s father has three sons. Two are named MindYourOwn and Trouble. What is the third son’s name?
Answer: David
Riddle 12
What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock
Riddle 13
What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle
Riddle 14
What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise
Riddle 15
What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name
Riddle 16
What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
Answer: A road
Riddle 17
What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer: A piano
Riddle 18
What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock
Riddle 19
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin
Riddle 20
What goes up when rain comes down?
Answer: An umbrella
Nature Riddles
Riddle 21
What is black when you buy it, red when you use it and grey when you throw it away?
Answer: Charcoal
Riddle 22
What does man love more than life, hate more than death or mortal strife; that which contented men desire; the poor have, the rich require; the miser spends, the spendthrift saves, and all men carry to their graves?
Answer: Nothing
Riddle 23
Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters.
Answer: Wind
Riddle 24
What gets broken without being held?
Answer: A promise
Riddle 25
What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name
Riddle 26
The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer: Darkness
Riddle 27
What goes through towns and over hills but never moves?
Answer: A road
Riddle 28
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer: A coin
Riddle 29
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer: A towel
Riddle 30
What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?
Answer: The letter “R”
Pollution Riddles
Riddle 31
I’m something that no one wants, but everyone gets some of eventually. What am I?
Answer: Pollution
Riddle 32
I am invisible, but real. I have weight but take up no space. When I accumulate there are dire consequences. What am I?
Answer: Carbon emissions
Riddle 33
I’m very thin and light as a feather, but even the strongest person can’t hold me for very long. What am I?
Answer: Air pollution
Riddle 34
I’m a problem that keeps growing, though no one wants me around. I spread quickly and quietly, often without making a sound. What am I?
Answer: Plastic pollution
Riddle 35
When I grow, trees disappear. When I roar, animals run. What am I?
Answer: Deforestation/habitat destruction
Riddle 36
I’m not a computer virus, but I spread without people wanting me to. I lurk in lakes and rivers, causing problems for the water you use. What am I?
Answer: Water pollution
Riddle 37
I’m not a storm cloud, but I can quickly block out the sun. I’m not an illness, but I can make it hard to breathe. What am I?
Answer: Smog/air pollution
Riddle 38
I’m a colorful killer that often ends up in the sea. I was useful for many years, until you learned I was deadly. What am I?
Answer: Lead paint
Riddle 39
I’m not biodegradable, and stay around for hundreds of years. I’m used once, for minutes, then tossed away without cares. What am I?
Answer: Plastic waste
Riddle 40
I’m very stinky and come from decaying trash. I can kill plants and animals when I seep from landfills in a splash. What am I?
Answer: Landfill leachate
Recycling Riddles
Riddle 41
I’m not garbage or waste, but I’ve been thrown away. With some new materials and melting, I’ll come back another day. What am I?
Answer: Recyclables
Riddle 42
Give me the right materials and temperature, I can be melted down and made into something new. What am I?
Answer: Plastic/glass/aluminum for recycling
Riddle 43
Don’t throw me in the trash, put me in a special bin. I can be made into new paper products, if recycled instead of thrown in. What am I?
Answer: Paper waste
Riddle 44
I’m not a broken appliance, but I’m filled with metals you can reuse. Recycle me correctly, my materials you won’t lose. What am I?
Answer: E-waste/electronics
Riddle 45
Don’t just throw me in the trash, I should not go to waste. With some simple processing I can be repurposed and remade. What am I?
Answer: Plastic waste
Riddle 46
I’m not a broken bottle, but I’m made of glass that can be recycled. Melt me down and reuse me, and resources won’t be so quickly cycled. What am I?
Answer: Glass jars/bottles
Riddle 47
I’m not a pop can, but I’m made of aluminum that can be repurposed. Recycle me properly and my materials stay in use. What am I?
Answer: Aluminum foil
Riddle 48
Don’t let your batteries end up in a landfill scene. Recycle me correctly and reuse my lithium. What am I?
Answer: Dead batteries
Riddle 49
I’m not compost but I can be broken down, as long as I’m recycled properly in town. What am I?
Answer: Food waste
Riddle 50
I’m not a broken down car, but I’m made of metal that could be recycled. With reprocessing I can be reused, rather than junkyard-bound and idle. What am I?
Answer: Scrap metal
Environmental Protection Riddles
Riddle 51
I’m not a flashlight, but I help you see. I shine a light on issues, and warn what could be. What am I?
Answer: Environmental advocate
Riddle 52
I’m not a superhero, but I fight for trees and bees. I work to protect the planet through activism and policies. What am I?
Answer: An environmentalist
Riddle 53
I’m not a lawyer, but I take polluting companies to court. I sue on nature’s behalf to protect the land as our last resort. What am I?
Answer: An environmental attorney
Conclusion
Riddles can be an enjoyable and interesting way to get people thinking about important environmental topics. These 53 environment-themed riddles cover a variety of subjects from nature to pollution to recycling. Though lighthearted, their answers share insightful messages that sticking with us. What riddles can you come up with to get people engaged in eco-consciousness?
