Earth Day Is Almost Here. How Does Your Paper Waste Measure Up?
4/13/2016 – In today’s digital age, people are considering how and when they can go paperless to produce less waste, but the fact of the matter is, many organizations still rely on paper documents. The financial services sector is still grappling with legacy systems and complex processes that were designed for paper and phone. Insurance companies require original documents with signatures or original copies of driving licences. Some organizations feel that legal admissibility will be compromised or that they need physical signatures on paper in order to meet certain legal or compliance requirements.
The takeaway here is we are still very much paper-reliant.
Consider the facts: 93 percent of paper comes from trees, and 50 percent of waste from businesses is paper waste. In the U.S., offices use 12.1 trillion sheets of paper per year. In our landfills, paper accounts for 25 percent of waste.
Deforestation is the most direct impact of our reliance on paper. It is estimated that by 2020, paper mills will be producing 500,000,000 tons of paper and paperboard each year.
As we approach Earth Day on April 22, it’s important to be mindful of how we can reduce our reliance on paper products – not only by going digital, but also doing something useful with the paper waste we produce. At Legal Shred, we take our commitment to environmental conservation seriously, by recycling the shredded paper we collect from our clients.
What are the major benefits to recycling old documents? Recycling paper is economically responsible, it reduces waste and improves efficiency, it produces jobs, and most importantly, it helps the environment.
The environmental impact alone is a major reason to consider routine recycling, as recycling paper reduces the amount that goes into landfills. This means a reduction in the amount of waste produced by any organization. Many garbage disposal companies cost their services according to weight or number of pickups per week. Recycling can reduce waste and the cost of waste services.
Where do you stand with the old file boxes taking up storage space in your office? Do you need to destroy them or do you need to recycle them? With Legal Shred, you get the best of both worlds. By utilizing our safe and secure document destruction services, you are supporting the environment as a model citizen without compromising the confidentiality and security of your customers and staff.
Do your part this Earth Day and every day of the year by considering Legal Shred’s routine services. Whatever the size and purpose of your business, you can rely on Legal Shred’s document shredding specialists to help design a waste management program, one that will recycle old documents in a secure, reliable and cost-saving manner.