6 Ways to Reduce Paper Waste and Save Money in Your Office

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 70 million tons of paper and paperboard are used in the United States every year.How much is your office using?It’s estimated that the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year. Multiply that number by the amount of workers you have and you’ll see why going paperless is not only environmentally responsible, but also fiscally responsible too.

Going paperless is one of the best ways an office can go green, to be more efficient and less wasteful. It doesn’t hurt that paper reduction saves your company money. Although it may not be entirely possible to eliminate all paper waste, these tips should provide you with some easy ways to significantly reduce the amount of paper you’re using.

1. Digitize Your Office

Make an inventory of everything that’s being printed. If possible, save copies on a computer’s hard drive, instead of printing and filing. This will free up room within your office, as well as reduce the amount of paper you’re using. If you’re concerned about safety simply back up all of your files to a second hard drive.

2. Print on Both Sides of the Paper

Unless you’re creating a legal contract, you can print on both sides of a sheet of paper. This doesn’t require more time at the printer, as most printers feature programming options for double-sided printing jobs. Simply program the printer and wait for your job to complete. You’ll use 50% less paper when you print on both sides.

3. Go Paperless with Third Party Companies

Your company is responsible for incoming paper waste too. When banks and other institutions are mailing you monthly bills, statements and more, you’re reading those materials and either saving or recycling them. You can eliminate this waste by switching to paperless billing and statements. Everything can be saved and backed up on computers.

Many companies went paperless and have benefited from Online Banking Solutions. Not only do these solutions provide companies with paperless statements, they also provide the same services you get inside a physical location. This means never having to waste gas to rush to the bank before closing time. You can do your banking 24 hours a day all while reducing your company’s carbon footprint.

4. Use Scrap Paper

Instead of purchasing post its, small notebooks and other paper products, why not use scrap paper to take notes, create sign-in sheets and so much more? Using paper again and again significantly reduces the amount of new paper being purchased. The office will have more funds for larger items, like new printers and computers, because they’re saving big on smaller paper products.

5. Cut Back in the Restroom

Paper towels are expensive and they’re not very green. Of course, you can buy paper towels made from recycled materials, but it’s better to make a complete shift – eliminating paper towels in the bathroom altogether. Outfit restrooms with a hand dryer. Dryers blow warm air and dry hands just as quickly as paper towels do. The result is less paper waste, plus a hand dryer is a one-time purchase, as opposed to the frequent re-ordering of paper towels.

6. Spread Awareness

Finally, the only way for these paper reduction techniques to work is to spread awareness throughout the office. You want your employees and co-workers to understand that this effort requires everyone’s hard work and dedication. If everyone is on board, then the transition will be smoother, faster and longer-lasting, until eventually you’ve eliminated virtually all paper waste.