I read the article with interest, scanning for the number one imperative for reducing waste in the office: REDUCE the amount of paper you churn out in the first place. Consider before you hit "print". Do you really need to print that email? That draft? That meeting agenda? Or at least make sure that your print job isn't going to run onto an extra page just for a couple of lines. Take a moment to format, folks! It astounds me how trigger-happy we can be with the print button. So much for the paperless office.

And how about the second part of the little ditty? RE-USE: set up a box where staff can drop one-sided scrap paper to be re-used. Dedicate one tray in the printer for this purpose and educate your colleagues. (You might want to advise that confidential papers don't make their way into that box.)

Finally, you can RECYCLE that paper, once it's been used to its fullest. I know, it takes more time, and it's going against the tide, fussing with bits of paper and badgering your colleagues. (Doesn't she have anything better to do?). But when the Ents come to wreak havoc, they may have mercy on you.

    Joel is very correct that inertia is one of the problems in getting companies to recycyle.  Many managers have doubts about how this can really work, how to orgranize it, and in previous decades fears of fire, insects and rats. When I was in the states, I found it helpful to do the following.

     I looked for the facilities manager  (or whoever would have to actually implement the program).  Instead of poohing poohing his/her fears, I suggested he/she talk to people at a couple of other companies who had successful programs.  These are folks who understand each other and speak the same language.  I provided the facilities manager with names and phone numbers of other companies facilities managers and suggested he/she give them a call.  Very low key (I would even pretend I didn't know their issues, because there was very little reason for them to listen to  somebody who didn't understand the "facilities business").  I said it seemed to be a growing trend, and worth checking into.  Did this at five companies, scored five for five.  And that was in the 1970's.

   Good luck!

While fishing through the recycling box at the side of my floor's fax machine for one-sided paper, I became very aware of how much paper was being wasted as a result of junk/ unsolicited / unnecessary faxes being received. It was shocking! I made a concerted effort over the course of a month or so to sort through the recycling box beside the fax on a regular basis. I retrieved every junk fax sheet, and called every 'to remove yourself from our fax list, call xyz' number or emailed. I am happy to report it has made a huge difference in the amount of wasted paper! Keep an eye out for any new junk fax lists your work fax may somehow get put on. Tell your mates who work on other floors too!

This article was very good.  Thank you!

I work in an office tower where tennants don't have much say in these matters.  Cleaning is done in the middle of the night so I can never observe the actual sorting and dumping.  Management spokesperson tells me they are "complying with the law".  They never issue updates or in anyway encourage recycling.  Anybody else in same boat?

Just like my last post this is another one of those hypotheticals for everyone to answer, so we don't forget why we do the things that we do, and what are the downfalls of those things.

Why is it necessary to recycle?

Some cons: there are a lot of transportation and processing costs, both monetary and energetic associated with this practice. US forest management right now is left without a market for low-grade wood, causing many companies to high-grade and actually deplete the woods. Many inks are toxic and require a costly (both) process to deink and remediate (I'm not even sure what they do with it) the byproduct.

Some pros: reduce southern hemisphere plantations, reclaim a resource that will be wasted, feel good about being an environmentalist.

I invite all to add critical, not reactionary posts and add any more ideas that you have for either one of the categories.

   There are soy-based inks, I am not an expert, so don't konw if they are toxic or not (hmmm, if they are, then maybe I have been conned!!).  Good question.  Recycled paper does not have to end up as paper, it can become other things  (see Ron Castles great post for an example I have never heard of!) such as boxes, or even toilet paper.

   The transportation and processing costs exist for garbage as well as paper intended for recycling.  Nothing is energy free (even death!).

   To Thomas Gray, the key would be to find the person in building management who is in charge of garbage and other facility issues.  Try to get them to talk to people in other buildings who recycle and see if this helps.  A lot of it really is inertia.  I was at one company talking to them about recycling cans and bottles, was told it could never happen (health laws, they attract rats), but something got them going and within a few months, the bins for recycling were right next to the trash cans!  Good luck!

Patrick

Psychologically recycling may make people think that it is OK to use instead of conserving, since hey I'm being environmental: I can recycle!