At ATMs, gas stations and any time a machine asks me if I want a receipt, I always hesitate for a second, and then punch "yes."

Part of me -- a very retro part of me -- is comforted by that little scrap of paper that may prove I only withdrew $50, on the off-chance my bank informs me I withdrew $500. Even though that has never happened in the history of my ATM experiences. 

It's the same reason I routinely ignore the emails from my bank, utilities and credit card companies urging me to switch to paperless statements.

Somehow, I think that paper -- actual, tangible paper -- can protect me in case of showdown with giant corporation later on down the line.

Trouble is, I cram those scraps of paper in my wallet until the mess gets too unmanageable at which point I eventually lose them or toss them out. And, since I bank and pay bills online, I wind up tossing out filler and extra envelopes by refusing to switch to e-statements and paperless options.

In other words, I'm part of the problem.

I never really gave this much thought until I checked out Grist's Guide to How to Green Your Investments. In their comprehensive list, they note that some 8 million times a year, Americans go their ATMs, and those tiny scraps of paper are now one of the top sources of litter on earth.

In fact, Market Watch calculated that if we taped together all of these slips of paper, we'd get a roll more than 2 billion feet long -- enough to circle the equator 15 times. Talk about a paper trail.

So, from now on, I'll live the change and just press "no" button when the ATM or gas station asks if I want a receipt. After all, it's easy (and litter-free) to keep an eye on my account via online banking.

At the same time, I think it's time to tell my bank, credit card company and utilities to switch me to paperless statements. As the Grist feature points out, paying bills and managing statements from banks, credit card companies, mutual fund and brokerage groups and other financial institutions not only saves mega-tons of paper, it also saves time, stamps, mail-related fuel costs and the legs and backs of our tireless mail carriers.

Speaking of mail, another bonus is knowing I won't see any more bills when I open my mailbox.

Photo: iStockphoto