What Do You Know About Paper Waste?

Paper has become an essential tool. We use it for daily newspapers and magazines, paper wrappings. While the digital age is taking over, our lives, especially our workspaces, still revolve around paper. Paper is still part of our daily lives, but most of it ends up in landfill.

So, what do you know about paper waste? Read on to find out how you can help Skip It reduce paper waste, making London a cleaner place!

Paper has been a part of our everyday lives for centuries now. Initially, it was invented as a means of communication. However, as the digital age has come to pass, paper has started to be used mainly for packaging. We clearly still use a large amount of this material. But what comes from this mass production and usage?

Paper comes from trees. Of all the trees harvested for industrial use, a majority of it goes towards producing paper. Deforestation remains one of the most concerning environmental issues, as it leads to the loss of animal and plant species, due to their loss of shelter. Deforestation is also causing an increase in greenhouse gases, changing the composition of our atmosphere.

Paper manufacturing requires an enormous amount of water. In fact, the pulp and paper industry uses the most water out of any industry for their materials, with about five litres of water used to make just one piece of A4 paper. Moreover, pulp mills are also largely responsible for air, water and land pollution, releasing hazardous toxins, into our atmosphere.

When it comes to paper, a lot of it goes to waste, as we tend to just throw it away, after using it once. However, paper can be one of the easiest materials to recycle and re-use, due to its texture, potentially reducing the volume of waste that could end up in landfill.

Especially in your workspace, it’s a good idea to reuse paper as much as possible, as the majority of paper waste is produced by businesses. For example, try using both sides of the paper rather than one. You can also collect used papers and make a scrap notebook using the blank spaces or pages.

Paper cups are also very common in offices. You could replace these disposable paper cups and plates with reusable items, such as plastic utensils.

Make use of digital tools in place of paper, by sending documents and files via email and avoid printing them unless absolutely necessary. With a variety of devices at your fingertips, why not simply use smartphones, tablets, laptops or computers instead of using up stacks of paper?

Another good tip is to buy products that come with as little paper packaging as possible. This also applies to plastic packaging. Sometimes it’s tricky to avoid buying food and other consumer products without some amount of paper or plastic packaging.

However, if you happen to spot paper packaging laying around, try and make the most of it, by repurposing it. You can reuse it for packaging all over again, such as using empty envelopes for storing letters or reusing newspapers and old magazines for wrapping.

Here at Skip It, we are dedicated to recycling, with 95 per cent of all the waste we collect getting recycled, meaning it doesn’t wind up in landfill sites. We offer a range of reliable waste collection services, from house clearances to business waste collection services across the UK!

Our team of experienced professionals are on-hand to offer effective services, going the extra mile to make sure your waste is disposed of responsibly.

Contact us to find out more about our services and help Skip It reduce paper waste today!