How that blue recycling bin for office paper helps save a tree
December 28, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: Cost Cutting, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, News, recycling
You don’t have to invent fancy new technology to go green. The little things count just as much, such as recycling office paper.
That’s one of the lessons you can pick up from Marcal Paper Mills. The company is totally into the sustainable green thing and only produces 100% recycled paper.
Sure, the mill has invested in fancy technology over the decades to turn waste papers into fresh paper products, as reported in New Jersey’s Alternative Press. But the take-home from Marcal’s story is where their raw material — other people’s waste paper — comes from. To make its paper products, Marcal only uses the paper that’s recycled from:
- curbside pickups in residential neighborhoods
- those blue baskets in office buildings
- unwanted junk mail, and
- waste papers from printing companies.
So when your company’s thinking about going green, it can start by adopting the little things, such as recycling office paper in those blue plastic containers.
Plus, you may want to get your employees, and your mail room if you have one, to recycle all that junk mail that comes through, especially over the holidays.
It might take a bit of organizing and training to change some behaviors, but think of the positive. Recycling junk mail helps save trees. This is not a stretch. Marcal’s been relying totally on recycled paper for decades. It’s why their company shirts proudly state “We Save Trees.”
And of course, by recycling paper, you help save the trees and that prevents unnecessary releases of greenhouse gas emissions.
Tags: greenhouse gas emissions, Marcal Paper Mills, recycled paper
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December 31st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I have been pushing re-cycling for years in our school just would like to know how many trees does a ton of recycled office paper save?
December 31st, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Who do you call to either drop the recyclable paper off or have someone pick it up?
December 31st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Better than recycling junk mail: Get your name off the junk mail list. At our work we have a bin for junk mail that employees place unwanted mail in. That bin goes to the mail room where they contact the sender to have the employee removed from the mailing list.
January 7th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Go to http://www.tappi.org/paperu/welcome.htm to get information on paper and recycling paper. Saving trees is not the important issue with recycling paper it is more related with energy and landfill space that makes recycling a benefit to the environment. If you are a teacher there are a lot of ideas at this website for learning about the paper process.
January 7th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
We have a small office, only 6 people, but we recycle all our unused office paper; fax cover sheets, duplicate photo copies, junk mail, envelopes, everything. You’d be surprised how much (junk) paper we generate and recycle!
January 18th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Of course, if your company uses a lot of forms then you might find http://www.mobileelectronicforms.com quite useful.
This allows you to capture data directly into Excel, so it cuts down on scraps of paper being filled in when you’re out and about, and of course then having to be stored away or photocopied.