No matter what kind of office you work in, you can almost guarantee that you have an issue with wasted paper. Even companies that insist on recycling their paper rather than simply throwing it in the bin find that they still use too much, and so it’s important that all businesses look to save paper.
Here are some great ways in which you can reduce your paper use:
1. Doubled-sided printing to save paper
When it comes to printing documents, make sure you print double-sided. This will save many, many pieces of paper that other people can use when printing off documents and it costs your company less because you must stock up on paper less frequently.
2. No overprinting
Do NOT print off documents that you don’t need, or that you know will go to waste and get thrown in the bin. This is a huge waste of paper that other people could be using.
3. Always proof-read and preview
Make sure you always proofread your work before printing. If you’re planning on printing off a large document and you realise there are spelling mistakes in it, you will need to print it again which would be wasting a lot of paper. You should also always preview your work to make sure it looks exactly how you want it. Printing documents twice because of a mistake is a waste of paper and greatly affects the environment.
4. Store all documents electronically
Store as many documents as you can electronically, this will save printing them off and having them all around the office. It will save a lot of storage space and they’re just as easily accessible as they would be if they’re printed off.
5. Re-using Scrap Paper
There must be plenty of paper around your office which gets thrown away all the time. Think about it, this paper could be reused for scrap! People are always looking for a little bit of paper to write notes on, so why can’t you reuse this paper and give it a purpose?
6. Unsubscribe to Junk Mail
If you’re subscribed to any mailing lists, unsubscribe from them! You don’t really need all those advertisements and magazines you get sent every month. They’re just a waste of paper. They’ll be looked at for two seconds and then thrown in the bin. So why waste paper? Unsubscribe now and save the paper!
7. Communicate via Emails
If you communicate with people via email instead of sending them letters, this will save paper. You will also be saving your company a lot of money on purchasing paper and stamps to send letters. You can also save paper by sending documents to your clients and colleagues using email instead of printing it out and handing it to them. They will still get to read it, whilst saving a lot of paper for your business.
8. Always Recycle
If you haven’t already, get a recycling bin in your office. This should be used by all staff members who have any paper they want to throw away that they can’t reuse. It should then be collected and recycled properly. Paper is a very important part of our world and we cut down trees to make it. Recycling paper is very important as we can make many things from it.
Can you imagine your business without paper? Although many companies are aiming to save paper, it’s still a very important part of our world and we need to watch how we’re using it.
Can you think of any more suggestions?
We offer print management software to help reduce your impact on the environment, find out more about our print management software here.
