Reuse paper
Put adequate paper collection systems in place
Don't buy paper that is a contaminant in recycling
- Provide clearly labelled recycling bins near copiers, shipping and receiving areas, and in employee eating areas to collect white paper, mixed paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard as well as non-paper products (glass, aluminum, plastic, etc).
- Provide desktop recycling containers for employees.
- Advise cleaning staff on where to place collected paper.
- Estimate how much waste paper your office produces and arrange to have it picked up by your waste hauler or a recycler.
- If your office is small, consider combining your recyclables with other small offices nearby.
- Use the blank sides of unneeded single-sided copies for printing drafts.
- Use outdated letterhead for in-house memos.
- Designate a printer for draft printing, and use only used paper in its paper tray.
Don't buy paper that is a contaminant in recycling
- Don’t buy paper that have the following contaminants: thermal fax paper, glossy/plastic coatings, plastic windows, bright colours including goldenrod, laser printer inks and adhesive products.
Case study
Bank of America recycles 61%of its paper, saving about half a million dollars a year in waste hauling fees. In 2004, the bank recycled 28,268 tons of paper.
Save Paper!
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The Save Paper! section of the WWF website is a detailed guide that allows businesses and individuals to save paper and reduce its environmental impacts.