Recycling Business Waste Paper and Reduction Techniques

The State of Paper Recycling in the U.S.

Recycling has now become a necessity. And if for no other imperative than the betterment of your bottom line, recycling is a virtue as much as it is a canny business decision.

In truth, waste is a liability, and it's costly to generate. And among wastes that could recycled (yet are not), paper is one of the biggest offenders.

Paper products-comprising magazines, newspapers, catalogues, paper packaging, documents, briefs, and mail-account for the largest municipal waste stream. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), paper makes up to 27% of all municipal solid waste.

In terms of paper and paperboard products, the EPA also estimates that in 2011, only 62.5% of this waste stream was recovered for recycling. Not only is well over one third of paper not recycled, but paper manufacturing the U.S. is the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases. About 9% of all manufacturing CO2 emissions are a result of paper production.

Large commercial entities aren't the only companies contributing to these percentages, as schools, universities, government agencies, and many other institutions are complicit as well.

Small to medium-sized businesses are capable of throwing away paper in massive quantities every day as well. Even the strictly e-commerce-based companies of today still "black bin" piles of paper records and internal documents, most of which-if not all-are recyclable.

Our Choice: Green Trees or Greenhouse Gases

Certainly, recycling paper helps the environment in myriad ways; one ton of recycled paper can save seventeen trees, and the less we deforest our ecosystem, the less carbon dioxide will escape into the atmosphere.

Trees are a natural ally in the fight against climate change. By their absorption of CO2, they cut down on the greenhouse gas effect that has led to our rampant global warming problem.

Tips on Paper Reduction for Businesses

Buying recycled fiber paper instead of 100% virgin paper is one way of maintaining a green office. The manufacturing of paper with at least some recycled content puts much less of a strain on our environment than the production of virgin wood fibers.

Although recycled paper has been more expensive to purchase in the past, that is quickly changing as recycled paper becomes more popular and manufacturing processes become more streamlined. Small businesses that may not have the extra resources to switch to recycled paper, or businesses that may not use much paper can still benefit from paper reduction techniques.

Some of these no-cost reduction and recycling tips include:

· Make use double-sided printing wherever possible

· Print only the pages that you need (using the "print preview" function in your word editor or web browser

   will allow you to select only certain pages to print)

· Switch from single-person copies of memos or newsletters to one for each department or office

· Use digital scans instead of printing interoffice materials

· Unsubscribe to bulk junk mail

· Educate employees on paper reduction techniques and encourage your entire staff to re-use  paper

· Start a company-wide paper recycling program