Food Waste Energy Waste Packaging Waste Office Paper Waste

Reducing and Reusing Office Paper Waste

Tips for Reducing Office Paper Waste

  • Perform a "waste basket audit" to evaluate office recycling potential.
  • Purchase only the quantity of supplies needed, especially letterhead, envelopes, and business cards, to reduce the need to dispose of outdated stock.
  • Ask suppliers to reduce unnecessary packaging or packing materials.
  • Limit computer printouts. Use electronic mail where possible to send and receive business messages. Review text on screen to limit mistakes on drafts.
  • Minimize the use of colored, glossy, and special thickness papers that are difficult to recycle.
  • Use reusable or two-way envelopes to post your inter-office correspondence.
  • Make two-sided copies. Develop a policy to copy reports, letters, memos, etc. on two sides rather than one to conserve paper. Purchase or lease copiers designed to copy on both sides without jamming or malfunctioning.
  • Cut down on paper for memos. Place memos on central bulletin boards for everyone to read or use. Routing slips also provide a record of who received and acknowledged a memo.
  • Keep mailing lists current.
  • Maintain central files instead of multiple files. This option saves not only paper but also reduces the time, space, and money spent for filing.
  • Actively encourage all employees to use less paper.
  • Maintain copiers, computers, and other equipment to minimize scrap generation and prolong the life of these machines.

Tips for Reusing Office Paper Waste

  • Reuse paper for scrap paper. Put old paper in bins and reuse it for drafts, memos, messages, calculations, etc. Reuse of scrap paper incurs virtually no added costs and saves on both disposal fees and the cost of new paper.
  • Set aside special cartridges in copy machines for draft paper that is the other side of already used paper.
  • Convert scratch paper into memo pads, telephone answering slips, and similar items.
  • Bring scrap paper to University Printing. They will cut the paper and bind it into a notebook for you.

Source: The Public Recycling Officials of Pennsylvania, Developing a Waste Reduction and Recycling Program for Commercial, Industrial and Municipal Establishments, May 1995.