Many catalogs that arrive in people's mailboxes across the nation end up going straight to the trash, wasting paper and costing manufacturers millions of dollars in distribution and production. According to catalogchoice.org, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to American consumers each year. This equals almost 53 million trees and the equivalent of 80,000 Olympic-size swimming pools of water to process those trees into paper.

You can lower your impact by opting out of pesky catalogs, especially around the holiday season. Here's how.

Sign up for an online opt-out service at sites like catalogchoice.org or greendimes.org. These sites are run by environmental advocacy groups (such as the National Resources Defense Council) and businesses that care about waste. For little to no fee, you can ask merchants to discontinue your catalog mailings-all you need is the name of the catalog, the customer number assigned to you (and found on the mailing label) and a few minutes to sign up.

Make it clear that you do not want your contact information distributed especially when you donate to a charity, sign up for a newsletter, or fill out a warranty card, write in large letters: "Please do not sell my name or address". Most organizations will properly mark your name in the computer. Make sure to make the same desire clear over the telephone.

If you have too much junk mail to look up individual mailing labels, send a postcard to the Direct Marketing Association, asking to "activate the preference service." This will protect your address for up to five years, during which you cannot receive mail from their member associations if you have not ordered something from them previously. The address is Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643.

Stop the delivery of mail addressed to former residents by writing to the Direct Marketing Association, or by handing a change of address card (you can get one of these at you local post office) to your mail carrier, stating the resident has "Moved, Left No Forwarding Address." The mail carrier is then responsible for approving the form and making sure that it gets entered into the National Change of Address (NCOA) database.

Finally, post signs that say, "Post No Bills," "No Menus" or "No Free Papers," and reduce the amount of junk that lands in your mailbox, vestibule or front porch.

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