Reducing how much paper you use is good for the environment not only because it saves trees, but also because it cuts down on the amount of paper trash you send to the landfills.  Here are a few ways that you or your business can cut down on your paper consumption.

  • Get bills electronically.  Many banks, credit card companies, and other companies that bill you now offer the option of receiving your bills in electronic form.  The more people switch to paperless billing, the fewer trees will have to die for that company’s paper needs.
  • Use electronic bill pay.  Many banks also now offer a way to send checks electronically.  In addition, credit cards often allow you to pay online, and companies like PayPal offer you ways to get paid electronically.  These are all great options for reducing the amount of paper you use (in the form of checks, envelopes, stamps, etc.).
  • Reuse paper.  If you print stuff, try to reuse paper as much as possible.  For example, I try to print unimportant things such as driving directions and maps on paper that has already had something printed on the other side.  I also try to consolidate my printing as much as possible by using both sides of the paper when I print things such as manuscripts for editing.
  • Rethink printing.  It’s also important to think carefully every time you print about whether you really NEED to print this thing.  For instance, instead of making photocopies of the checks clients send me, instead I scan them onto the computer and keep only electronic copies.
  • Go paperless.  Every office has documents and other paperwork on a daily basis.  See how much of this you can convert to electronic!  If you are worried about the amount of data it will produce, or how you will organize your documents, check into these data storage solutions or look into finding document management software providers to help you stay organized.

There are plenty of ways you can reduce your paper consumption — these are just a few ideas.  What other ideas can you think of?

Technorati Tags: , ,