it's not just non-quilters --- there are quilters too who do not save anything beyond what their current project requires.
i have a friend who has been creating beautiful quilts for 30 years---she uses exactly what her pattern requires & (used to) toss anything left over---i about had a heart attack when she first told me this---& told me----'oh- don't become one of THOSE string savers!'....it took me a couple years but i did finally convince her to let me have the contents of her (waste basket) before bagging it to go to the landfill---she just shakes her head & gives it up---sometimes there is 1/2 a yard or more pieces in there---i know she is not alone- lots of people use what is required then get rid of what ever was left over- regardless of amount- and then there are those of us who buy extra on purpose & keep a stash and save every scrap--- not every quilter understands any more than a non-quilter understands.