Be Well

Paper use in offices is a big consumer of wood in the United States. Representing roughly 50% of the waste bill from the average business, paper and paperboard waste account for up to 40% of landfill solid waste. U.S. offices print about 12.1 trillion sheets of paper annually, contributing about 9% of the manufacturing sector’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Similarly, printing requires a lot of petroleum-derived ink, energy, and plastic materials like cartridges. These add another chunk to the huge green toll businesses have from printing alone. Clearly, reducing paper use can go a long way in helping businesses save money and go green at the same time.

Here are five tips that can help businesses reduce paper waste:

1. Use Eco-Font. The prints your business makes for ‘daily use’ not only use paper, but also ink. Your ink cartridges could last longer if your fonts required less ink to print. The Ecofont is a new font that allows you to do just that. The font has small circles removed from it, which are visible when the text size is extremely large but not when used at the normal size 12 or size 10. Click here to learn more.

2. Use Double-Sided Printing. Purchasing a double-sided printer will not only cut paper use in half, but it will also save you money. The initial investment is typically paid within a reasonable timeframe, and any savings after that are above your costs.

3. Edit, Read, and Write Online. Ask your employees to get used to doing most things requiring text online. They can edit documents online; read newspapers and magazines online; and send messages to others online. Switch your current subscriptions to online versions and begin cutting down on paper waste.

4. Promote Reuse. You don’t have to necessary recycle used paper right away. If you print on just one side, use the other side as scrap paper. You can also use used paper for many other purposes. Click here to learn about ways to use used paper.

5. Recycle! Make sure you not only recycle paper that you can’t reuse, but also cartridges! Most manufacturers today take back used cartridges. Just take it to a local retail store and hand it in there. Finally, make sure your business is recycling paper. Place recycling bins around marked with flyers for employees.