In 2008, Americans recycled or composted 83 million tons of recyclable waste, compared to an estimated 250 million tons of waste created, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While the per capita generation of waste has remained fairly constant for the past 20 years, consumption has increased due to increases in population. The amount of recyclable products collected has increased by approximately 17 percent over that same time frame.
Paper Recycling
By weight, paper represents more than one-third of all recyclable items collected in the United States in any given year. According to the EPA, one office worker uses an average of 10,000 sheets of copy paper in one year, amounting to an annual nationwide usage of 4 million tons. To do your part to reduce paper waste, place paper recycling bins next to each shared printer, and inform employees to dispose of all paper products in the recycling bins. If your company generates confidential documents that must be destroyed, choose a document destruction service that recycles. For double the contribution to a recycling effort, purchase copy paper, envelopes and other paper products made from recycled paper.
Break Room Recycling
Break rooms usually contain a bevy of recycling possibilities, such as cardboard containers for microwavable dinners, aluminum cans, plastic cups and forks and paper cups and plates. Supply each break room with a recycling bin, clearly labeled with the type of items that should be placed inside. If the company currently provides Styrofoam plates or cups for employees, switch to recyclable options, such as plastic and paper.
Toner Recycling
Take copier and printer toner cartridges to your local office store that offers a drop-off bin for toner recycling. Used toner cartridges can be refilled with ink and sold, reducing the need for new cartridge manufacturing.
Reduce Waste
Offices can make a large contribution to recycling efforts by reducing waste. Preview all documents before printing to ensure that no waste occurs. Purchase printers and photocopiers with dual-sided printing capabilities to cut paper usage in half. Distribute documents to employees in digital format, either by email or by saving the documents to a common directory on the company's computer network so employees can access them at any time. When money allows, replace paper-laden systems, such as payroll, with electronic or Internet-based systems that reduce the need for copying and printing. Use scrap paper for taking notes, and eliminate the use, when possible, of fax cover sheets. Use an easily readable font size and avoid large fonts that push documents onto additional pages.
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