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Paper Recycling Campaign
California is faced with the challenge of managing nearly 14 million
tons of post-consumer paper generated annually in the State. In 1997,
only 31 percent of that paper was recovered for recycling, with the
remainder (approximately 9.5 million tons) disposed—primarily in
landfills.
Because generation of paper continues to increase, recycling alone
will not necessarily reduce the amount of paper sent to landfills. All
sectors of society -manufacturers, schools, businesses, government
organizations, and private residents- must also reduce the amounts of
paper we use. Calabasas residents, too, can benefit economically by
reducing paper use.
Paper
Reduction Tips...
In 2003, recyclable
office paper represented over 9% of the paper disposed in California,
amounting to approximately 785,147 tons, with over 58 percent from
commercial sources! Paper is the second largest component of
commercial waste stream, accounting for about 26.5 % of all commercial
materials disposed. Furthermore, the commercial sector accounts for
approximately 47 % of all materials disposed in the state. Below are
quick tips for using less paper and saving money for your office.
Policy Considerations
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Adopt a "Double-Sided" Policy
Consider adopting an
organizational policy that will ensure all individual documents are
printed on both sides of the page.
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Minor Hand Written Corrections are OK
Consider adopting an in-house
policy allowing internal documents to be submitted with minor legible
handwritten corrections. This means it is okay to make neat
handwritten corrections to fix typos and punctuation errors, add a
word or delete one, on documents you give to your managers, so long as
the document is for internal use.
Printing Improvements
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Set Computer Defaults to Print Double-Sided
Set up
computer software for default two-sided printing including word
processing, spreadsheets, electronic mail, and others.
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Preview Documents
Before Printing
Proofread documents on
screen before printing. Don't forget to use the speller/grammar
function to detect errors.
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Print Only the Pages You Need
You just got back that 20-page report you wrote and
there are changes to make on pages 2, 3, 4, 7, and 15. After making
the changes, do you print out the whole document? If yes, consider
instead printing only the pages you need. Most software programs
provide this option under the print function. Consult your information
management staff or your software guidebook if you are unsure of how
to print selected document pages.
Remember the 3 “R”s: Reuse – Reuse - Recycle
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Provide Trays to Collect and Reuse One-Sided Paper
Encourage students and employees to save and reuse paper printed on
only one side. Collect paper that has been printed on one side for
reuse in copiers and fax machines. Also, use the one-sided paper to
make scratch pads.
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Provide Trays to Collect and Reuse Envelopes and File Folders
Encourage reuse of large envelopes and file folders by
providing centrally located trays for their collection.
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Send Information Electronically
Use e-mail for forms, document transmittals and faxes. Think carefully
before printing electronic information.
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Reduce Unwanted Mail
Contact mail senders to take your company's name off their mailing
list.
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Eliminate Excess Mailings
Trim mailing lists used
to send information to your customers.
Give customers opportunities to indicate if and how
often they want to receive information. Your customers will appreciate
your efforts to minimize unwanted or duplicated mailings.
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Print Envelopes without Labels
Save the cost of buying mailing labels and eliminate
the waste associated with those labels by printing addresses directly
on envelopes.
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Route Memos and Newsletters Electronically
Instead of making a copy for each person, route one
copy around the office or simply route memos and newsletters
electronically.
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Post Paper Reduction Reminders by Printers
and Copiers
Remind people to copy double-sided by posting reminders
near the copiers, using interesting posters or entertaining.
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