How to Reduce Paper Waste in 5 Steps

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2009 is to reduce my paper waste. Sorting my waste into the recycling bin or the garbage is not enough. It goes without saying that you should recycle all your paper products; however, there are many other creative ways to reuse paper and save money on it.

Here are some easy starter steps to reduce paper waste:

1. Sign up for online newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Although I enjoy holding my morning paper while reading it, I think signing up for an online subscription will help me save a lot of paper in 2009, while freeing up time in the morning. By having all the articles available on line, you can quickly and efficiently scan the top news for the day. On many sites, you are able to read a quick snapshot of each article without having to click on each piece. Often, online subscriptions also give you access to content you would not be able to use on paper such as slide shows, videos, blogs and user commentary. Online subscriptions are also cheaper in most cases.

Taking this one step further, you may opt to limit the amount of paper you receive in the mailbox by signing up for online banking. This option allows you to receive statement and payment reminders via e-mail and gives you access to all your statements via your bank's website. Many banks and credit cards also offer various incentives for enrolling in these programs and for paying your bills online.

2. Re-use shipping materials at home and in the office. I re-use the boxes I receive when I shop online - they are easily reusable for personal shipping (this will save money on post office supplies!), for gift-wrapping and useful if you or someone you know is planning a move.

3. Re-use newspaper and junk mail. You can use newspaper for packing or gift-wrapping. Since it is now trendy to be "green," you can use newspaper to wrap your gifts, especially if your gift is organic or if it is something that will help green the life of the recipient. You can also save your newspaper and use it when organizing breakable items into boxes or when packing.

As unavoidable as junk mail is, you can try to make the best of it. It is easy to use the paper as scrap for writing notes, and making lists. You can also find ways to reduce it by limiting the number of places you list your address online. You can also enter "how to reduce junk mail" at Google.com to learn about numerous strategies on reducing junk in your mailbox.

4. Stop printing. Pretend your printer is broken and you will soon notice that it is possible to get by without it. If you must print, always print double-sided and recycle once finished with the printout. If you accidentally printed single-sided, use the paper as scrap in the future for making notes. With practice, eliminating your printed paper will help considerably in reducing paper waste.

5. Share. If you feel you can't stop your magazine and newspaper subscriptions, get together with friends and co-workers and share your reading material. At my office, we all bring in our magazines, books and newspapers when we've finished reading them so that others may pick them up. This will mean that you save on subscription costs and that more people make use of the printed word. Exchanging books is also a good idea - it saves money and allows your friends to benefit from your taste in literature as well as the money you already spent!

Hopefully, this will be an easy New Year's Resolution to maintain as well as one that will feel extremely rewarding come the end of 2009!