Download free Use Both Sides posters from the CIWMB.

For each sheet of paper used, an organization incurs not only purchasing costs, but also storage, copying, printing, disposal, recycling, postage and other affiliated supply costs. Careless use and disposal of office paper and office supplies is rapidly clogging landfills, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, depleting natural resources, contributing to air and water pollution, and wasting energy. In fact, one third of all waste generated in the U.S. is paper and paper packaging.

Your business can help prevent this waste by…

• Making duplex the default setting for your printers
• Sending interoffice e-mails instead of paper memos
• Reusing "half-used paper" (paper that has printing on one side) in your copy and fax machine for copies or faxes that are for internal use. Set up a tray near your copy machine/printer to make storing half-used paper easy and remind employees to recycle office paper.
• Make it convenient to recycle paper: each staffed desk or cubicle should have a recycle basket, box, or other type or receptacle. Employees may be more likely to recycle if they are allowed to create their own unique recycling basket for their office space.
• Buy reusable office supplies instead of disposable supplies.
• Use recycled paper. Recycled paper contains different percentage of post-consumer waste (paper that has been recycled by consumers), while the remaining recycled content comes from paper mill scraps. Your best environmental choice is paper with a high percentage of post-consumer content, 30 percent or greater. 
• Some recycled paper costs slightly more than virgin paper, while some is the same or even cheaper. To help offset any possible additional cost, plan ahead. Buy in larger quantities: team up with other departments or even other businesses to get better prices.

More Information

• Download free paper reuse posters from the CIWMB