Gardner on Going Paperless

The Toxic Impact of Paper on our Global Environment

Paper consumption is costly to the environment; it makes up the largest component of solid waste by weight. In the U.S. alone, over 40% of municipal solid waste is paper – about 71.8 million tons each year; enough to build a 12-foot high wall from New York to California.

The process of producing paper requires huge amounts of water and electricity. To make paper white, paper is bleached; the most common bleaching agent is chlorine that can find its way into our waterways. The plastic from toner cartridges discarded into landfills takes more than 1000 years to decompose.

Ninety five percent of business information is still stored on paper…

There are some options for organizations that wish to make environmentally friendlier choices:

Recycle your paper. Recycling 1 short ton (0.91 t) of paper saves:

    *17 mature trees
    *7 thousand US gallons (26 m3) of water
    *3 cubic yards (2.3 m3) of landfill space
    *2 barrels of oil (84 US gal or 320 l)
    *4,100 kilowatt-hours (15 GJ) of electricity — enough energy to power the average American home for six months (Wikipedia).

Choose totally chlorine-free (TCF) paper. This is environmentally preferable to “elementally chlorine-free” (ECF) paper, which is bleached with chlorine derivatives that still produce toxic chlorinated compounds. This website contains information on purchasing various types and quantities of environmentally friendly paper.

Recycle toner cartridges. Many retailers who sell toner may offer a trade-in value for a new one. There are also many websites that offer cash for used cartridges, search for keyword “recycle toner cartridges” to learn more.

Reduce your use of paper. The most environmentally sound decision is to use less paper. Digital document workflow technology offers the opportunity to drive costs down and increase productivity while making a lighter environmental impact.