Green Your Business Step 2: Waste Paper Management

Remember those three "R" words? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! As you look at ways to make your business environmentally friendly, start along this list of words with regards to the paper waste you produce.

Reduce:
The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year. Email everything you can to keep from using paper at all.

Reuse:
If you must print - print on both sides of paper and reuse the back of single sides pages for draft copies. Use old or outdated pre-printed forms for drafts or in house circulation. Be sure you are using copy paper with as much recycled content as possible. Gone is the super-expensive-flimsy-not-so-white recycled paper stock, it's been replaced by stock that is almost impossible to tell apart from virgin paper. Also, be sure to look for paper that is processed chlorine free.

Recycle:
Make sure you have recycling containers available for employees. Ideally, it would be great to put a recycling bin next to every trash can, but make sure you at least cover the basics. Key places would be near copiers and printers.