Several Good Ways To Make Office Supplies Environmentally Friendly

Reusing and Recycling Packaging Materials: Regardless of order size, some packaging materials will eventually need to be disposed of. Before handing these materials over to specialized agencies for recycling, consider how you can recycle them yourself. For example, cardboard boxes can be used for shipping, while plastic bags and foam can be used to store and protect valuables.

Bulk Purchasing: This saves money and reduces frequent trips to office supply stores. Bulk orders from online retailers like Starbucks can also enjoy lower prices and free shipping.

Collecting Waste Paper and Scrap Metal: Waste paper and scrap metal are recyclable materials.

Monitoring Paper Usage: Statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show that, on average, each person in an office generates about 0.7 kg of waste paper per day. Save on paper usage by: only photocopying when necessary; using both sides of the copy paper; and purchasing paper with a high recycling rate.

Refilling Inkjet Cartridges: When an inkjet cartridge runs out, it's best to refill the ink cartridge rather than buying a new one. Generally, an inkjet cartridge can be refilled 10 times (under ideal conditions), saving up to 75% compared to buying new cartridges.

Understand the material codes of plastic products: Many office supplies are made of plastic. For easy recycling, it's important to know what these plastic products are made of. Each plastic product has a recycling label; checking its code will tell you what material it's made of.

Develop an office supply recycling plan: Offices should ideally sort their waste like a home. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 40% of municipal solid waste comes from office buildings.