During the 2008 holiday season, Americans threw out 25 percent more waste, which means about 5 million extra tons of trash went straight to the landfill. Much of the so-called trash is recyclable.  In fact, each time you toss a plastic bottle, plastic bag, cell phone or soda can into the trash, you cost the country money and natural resources.  To put that in perspective, if you recycle just one single plastic bottle—so a new one doesn’t have to be produced — you save the equivalent amount of energy consumed by a 60-watt bulb in six hours.

As a nation, we throw away about 2.5 million bottles per hour.

Think of how many lights you could power if all those bottles were recycled.   And remember, plastic bottles are made from petroleum.  Plastics for bags, bottles, films and other packaging sucked up 5.3 million barrels of oil last year.  No wonder gas prices are up.

What about the ubiquitous cell phone?  If each person recycled an old cell phone, not only would large amounts of hazardous waste – like lead and cadmium – would stay out of landfills, we’d be able to power 18,500 households for an entire year.

The bottom line  is Americans are not as good about conserving and recycling as we could be.  Here are some statistics to consider:

    •    Nearly 169 million barrels of oil were used to make plastic in the United States last year.
    •    Each of America's 300 million citizens uses an average of 166 plastic water bottles each year. 
    •    For each ton of plastic bottles that makes it to a recycling center, there is 7.4 cubic yards saved in a landfill.  
    •    That same ton of plastic bottles will conserve 3.8 barrels of crude oil that could then be used to produce other products.  Or to fill up your car.

So as you think about your Christmas and Hanukkah shopping list, how about purchasing a reusable stainless steel water bottle?  Better yet, why don't you keep that cell phone another year?