Save Paper, Save Plastic. People in the U.S. throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles an hour. Making new plastic requires significant amounts of fossil fuels. Studies suggest that between 7% and 8% of the world’s fossil fuels are used in producing new plastics. Plastic is easy to recycle - although few people do it. Some studies show that only 10% of plastic bottles created are recycled, leaving that extra 90% to take up space in landfills and killing ocean life