Earth Day was launched in 1970 to inspire people worldwide to think about ecology and sustainability. Now, 45 years later, we largely are aware of the consequences of waste as it affects landfills, natural resources and even the economy.
Does your office’s printing habits align with Earth Day’s ideals?
For most workplaces – even ones that boast a paper recycling box next to the printer – the answer is largely “no.”
Consider …
The typical office worker burns through 34 sheets of paper a day. That adds up to about 10,000 sheets a year.
Of those thousands of hard copies:
- 17 percent are never used
- 40 percent are never even picked up by the end user
- 45 percent end up in the trash
That’s a startling waste of paper and toner resources, even if you have a recycling program. But there’s also the issue of landfill:
- 60 to 80 percent of used print cartridges, with their plastic covers, end up in landfills, where biodegrading happens over centuries, if at all.
The mantra of “reduce, reuse, recycle” can certainly apply to your printer fleet. You can take advantage of products and programs designed to cut down on waste and reduce consumption.
Talk to the experts Improving your print fleet doesn’t mean compromising productivity. A Managed Print Services representative can perform a print assessment to show exactly how many resources you’re using – and what it costs both in financial and environmental terms.
You may discover how much the appropriate hardware and software can make a difference, from controlling the output of printed materials to using online save-and-share functionality to reducing the need for hard copies. Within an MPS program you can arrange to have your used print cartridges shipped back for reuse and recycling – and help keep millions of pounds of waste out of landfills.
Want to know more?
For more strategies on how you can make your office print environment “greener” we invite you to download our free ebook A Greener Workplace.
