Maybe you do it because it's the law. But by separating those bottles, cans, and newspapers from your trash, you are preventing tons of reusable waste from taking up space in landfills. In 2003, for example, recycling and composting diverted 72 million tons of material from landfills. This is especially important when you consider that a landfill acts like a tightly sealed storage container: Products that would normally biodegrade quickly, such as paper, take much longer to break down in a landfill.

One of the people who helped to bring this fact to light is William Rathje, an anthropology professor at the University of Arizona. In 1973, Rathje embarked on the Garbage Project, an effort in which he and his students explored the contents of landfills in Arizona, California, and Illinois. They found 70-year-old newspapers that were still readable, green grass clippings, and 40-year-old hot dogs. In considering landfills, Rathje said, "They are not vast composters; rather they are vast mummifiers."

To go a little greener: Buy products made from recycled materials. It almost always takes less energy to make a product from recycled materials than it does to make something from new or virgin materials. For instance, creating a new aluminum can from recycled cans uses only 5 percent of the energy it would take to create a brand-new one. You're also saving the environment from being ravaged to obtain the raw materials to make new products. What's more, by supporting the market for recycled goods, you get to see the fruits of your labor-all that recycling you've done at home.

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