10 Ways to Reduce Paper Usage
Although it is slowly declining in North America, paper consumption around the world is on the rise. Did you know that paper production is the third most energy-intensive manufacturing industries of all time? Not only does paper production require a lot of energy, but also nearly 26 million tons of paper waste hit landfills in the United States every year. There is a clear need for the reduction of paper usage, specifically in homes and offices nationwide. Follow our tips below to help you reduce your daily paper usage!
Best Practices to Reduce Paper Usage
Cutting Your Paper Waste in Half at Home
1. Stop Receiving Junk Mail
There are over 100 million pieces of junk mail sent out to homes in the United States every year! Most of it is useless and gets thrown away in the trash without even being read. Reduce your paper dependency by telling advertisers and businesses to stop sending you any unwanted promotional material. Also, if you are an advertiser or business yourself, reconsider sending out junk mail and try more eco-friendly options like online coupons and discounts.
2. Quit Relying on Disposable Materials
Many American homes use disposable towels, napkins, tissue paper, cups and plates almost exclusively. This adds up to a considerable amount of paper usage a year. Instead, try using cloth and real china. Doing the dishes will require less energy and expenses in the long run compared to their paper counterparts.
3. Subscribe to Online Magazines and Newspapers
Instead of having your magazines and newspapers delivered to you, try to subscribe to the online version instead. Not only is it more eco-friendly, but these subscriptions tend to be more cost efficient as well.
4. Leaving Notes Around the House
When making notes around the house, be sure to use the size of paper necessary for that particular note. For example, do not use a full sheet of paper for a small grocery list. Instead, use a post it or scrap piece of paper. When buying paper to use at home, try to buy recycled paper and use both sides when you’re printing.
5. Invest in Reusable Shopping Bags
To make grocery shopping more effective and eco-friendly, make sure you buy your groceries in bulk to reduce the amount of paper used. Also, make sure you bring your own reusable bags while shopping instead of using a multitude of bags from the grocery store.
Tips to Reduce Paper Usage at the Office
6. Utilize E-Mail
It is important to try and exclusively use e-mail when communicating with fellow employees and other companies. Simply using electronic mail over regular mail will reduce paper usage significantly.
7. Document Collaboration
In today’s age of technology, it is much easier to collaborate on documents online rather than on paper. Tools such as GoogleDocs help reduce the usage of paper with a simple document collaboration platform. Using Microsoft Word or Open Office editor can also help reduce paper usage when it comes to editing and changing work effectively.
8. Paper Friendly Business Cards
Do not include your mailing address on your business cards to help reduce the number of unwanted letters you will receive in the mail. This will force whoever you gave your business card to contact you via email or over the phone, thus reducing any chance of using paper while communicating. Also, when printing your business cards, try not to purchase more than you will need!
9. Printing Isn’t Always Necessary
There should be a golden rule within businesses nationwide, which is to think before you print. Sometimes people print paper as a habit when in reality they probably did not need to print anything. Printing is too accessible and wasteful; ask yourself “do I really need to print this?” before you act.
10. Use Paper Efficiently
Offices are always going to have to use paper, but if we use it more systematically, we can reduce how much is used. Some simple ways of increasing efficiency are setting defaults on computers, using thinner paper and using both sides of paper.
Waste and Recycling Company in New Jersey
The use of paper is inevitable, so when you do use it make sure you recycle correctly! Here at Cali Carting, we are the top waste management company in New Jersey. With our years of experience, we can help your NJ home or business recycle properly. For more information about our company and how we can help your home or business, be sure to contact us today.
Adopt Eco-Friendly Waste Management Practices with Cali Carting
Whether you are looking to make your home or business more eco-friendly, Cali Carting provides waste management services focused on ensuring that every piece of waste produced is disposed of properly, including recyclable materials. We provide residential and commercial customers with dumpster and compactor rentals so that they can properly dispose of waste produced by construction and cleanout projects of all kinds. Our dumpsters are available in 10 yard, 15 yard, 20 yard, and 30 yard sizes. We also provide municipal trash and recycling services to municipalities throughout NJ. Along with collecting general waste, yard waste, and bulk waste, we collect recyclable materials for proper disposal. We are proud to help all those who work with us adopt eco-friendly practices, from individual homeowners to entire communities.
