Six Tips to Reducing Your Company’s Paper Waste

The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years (usi.edu). If your business is contributing to this alarming statistic, it may be time for a more sustainable approach. While paper may seem to be a normal and necessary part of daily operations, opportunities to reduce the waste exist.

Work with employees to give these tips a try:

• Double Up: Adopt a company-wide two-sided printing rule. Preset printer properties to duplex so that no extra effort is needed by the person printing.
• Leverage Technology: While email is an obvious choice for sending paper-free messages and documents, other electronic offerings are also available. Consider voicemails, internal chat software, and electronic bulletin boards as bonus ways to communicate sans paper.
• Make Scraps Useful: It’s inevitable that things will be printed in error and need to be tossed. Before doing so, use a large paper cutter to quarter one-side pages into scraps for notes. The blank sides make the perfect place to jot down phone numbers and call details when on the phone, which would normally end up on a sticky note.
• Perform Regular Tune-ups: Paper often gets wasted just because a printer or copier machine isn’t working properly. If paper jams and toner issues are a regular office occurrence, set a routine maintenance schedule for your equipment. If there is a problem, be sure employees know to communicate well with one another so that accidental use of the equipment in need of repair doesn’t lead to more paper waste.
• Scan It: Making copies of industry news or an applicable magazine article for your employees may be a great way to keep them informed, but not great for paper waste. Instead, scan the document and electronically send it to those who’d benefit. Employees are likely to read something in their spare time if they can access it from a device instead of in hard copy.
• Set the Example: When it comes time to send out annual reports, board of directors materials, glossy brochures, or the like, look for electronic methods as alternatives. Customers will not only appreciate one less printed piece, but they’ll also view your business as technologically in the know, as well as good environmental stewards.

Paper doesn’t have to be a problem for your company. Contact Hazardous Waste Experts at (800) 936-2311 to learn more about the strategies and services available to help your organization. With our assistance, you can employ smarter and more cost-saving solutions to respond to the growing paper waste problems of your business.