Tips for Environmentally-Friendly Paper Shredding and Recycling

In a world where goodness is innate and nature is considered inherently good, it’s only natural for us to strive towards environmental friendliness. Yet, in our daily lives and businesses, paper remains a staple despite its detrimental impact on our planet. But fear not; there are ways to balance our paper needs with our desire to protect the Earth. Let’s delve into some environmentally-friendly tips for paper use, shredding, and recycling.

The Battle Against Waste

We find ourselves in a battle between our dependency on paper and our commitment to caring for the Earth. There is hope, however. Despite paper’s contribution to landfills, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports a commendable recycling rate of 68.2% in 2018. Yet, there’s always room for improvement. Recycling paper yields numerous environmental benefits:

• Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, conserves 7,000 gallons of water, spares three cubic yards of landfill space, and preserves 380 gallons of oil.
• The 17 saved trees continue to absorb 250 pounds of CO2 from the air.
• Recycling paper generates 74% less air pollution, consumes 50% less water, uses only 60% of the energy, and costs 50-80% less than producing paper from new materials.

Environmentally-Friendly Paper Practices

1. Reduce: Start by reducing your paper usage. Embrace the use of digital communication, email agendas and programs instead of printing them, and opt for digital questionnaires over paper ones.
2. Shred: Safeguard your personal information by securely destroying documents. Choose shredding as it’s the most effective and economical method. Ensure compliance with legal requirements by opting for a NAID AAA Certified shredding company. They can provide shredding collection bins and a Certificate of Destruction, offering you peace of mind.
3. Recycle: While reducing paper usage is commendable, going completely paperless might not be feasible. If you opt for shredding services, choose a company that recycles shredded material. This contributes to environmental protection by reducing landfill waste, lessening the demand for new paper materials, and promoting the reuse of recycled products.

By implementing these environmentally-friendly practices, we can strike a balance between our paper needs and our responsibility to protect the planet. Let’s work together to create a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come.

Choose an Environmentally-Friendly Shredder

Consider partnering with a company like Pacific Shredding, which has recycled over 145 million pounds of paper since 2005. We offer on-site document destruction and ensure that all shredded documents are 100% recycled. For more information, call us at 800-685-9034 or complete the form on this page.