Be Wise. Use both sides

I find this sentence very catchy. I found it in the The California Integrated Waste Management Board website. Something like this around photocopiers

(from wasteonline.org.uk).In most offices there is tremendous potential for reducing the amount of paper used and thrown away, and it is something which every member of staff can influence to a degree. Some of the following suggestions can be implemented easily by individuals, others will require policy decisions taken across departments or the whole company. All of them will save money and reduce waste!

*Use both sides of the paper. Whenever possible use double sided photocopying - and make sure that all staff regularly using photocopiers know how to do this. Better still, set the photocopier to default to double sided printing!

*If your laser printer has a duplex option, use that for multiple page items.

*Make departments and sections responsible for their own photocopying budgets, so that they have an incentive to print double sided as well as being exhorted to do so

*Use paper printed one side only for notepads. A bulldog clip is useful for holding pieces together.

*Use scrap paper for notes to colleagues.

*Instead of using post-it notes, use scrap paper attached with a paper clip.

*Reuse envelopes for internal circulation.

*Make better use of notice boards rather circulating copies of all non-urgent memos and other circulars to all staff.

*Review the need for computer print-outs from time to time - it is all too easy to go on printing out a regular fifty page report for the same ten people who have received it for the last two years - do they all still want it, do any of them want it?

*With a networked computer system, consider using electronic mail for inter-office memos

*Keep a pile of good quality A4 scrap paper next to the printer for rough or trial copies. Out of date headed paper is ideal for this purpose.

*Use the smallest piece of paper appropriate to the task. For example, photocopy A3 documents to A4 size, use A5 size cover sheets for faxes, or just send one A4 page if the message is short.

*Have a policy that photocopiers and printers always reset to single copy printing after someone has used them, and check anyway before using them.

*Reuse wallet folders, hanging file dividers and other storage items Review procedures that require regular circulation of forms and memos, and how many can be eliminated.

*Regularly check computerised mailing lists and remove duplicates and out of date addresses.