18 Tips For Saving Paper

How can you cut down on paper waste? I’d like to answer that question today. Because paper is made of wood, a valuable raw material. As humans will consume more and more consciously and without plastic in the coming decades, more paper will be needed. We can offset the increased demand for wood by saving paper. That’s why today I’m going to give you 18 tips to reduce your paper waste. Here we go!

SAVE PAPER WITH THESE 18 TIPS

Let’s not beat around the bush for long. Use these tips  in your daily life to significantly reduce  waste without great effort:

CARDBOARD PACKAGING REUSE

Many orders are placed online today. Cardboard boxes and paper filling material lead to high paper consumption. By reusing these boxes for your next shipment, you give the box a second life, and you don’t have to throw it away directly in the trash (blue container). Here’s how you can significantly reduce your paper consumption> See also the article Reuse and save waste.

OLD NEWSPAPER PRINT RECYCLING

Give your old newspaper a second life by folding a garbage bag with newspaper. Reusing newspapers can also help you avoid plastic waste, as you generally use a plastic garbage bag. Alternatively, you can reuse the newsprint, for example, to pack food on the go, as has been done in India since the ban on single-use plastic.

“PLEASE DO NOT LAUNCH ADVERTISING”

How much unnecessary plastic and paper trash fluttered into my mailbox before I affixed the “Please do not advertise” label on the flap … And resentment against advertising companies was growing. With this simple adhesive, you avoid wasting advertising in the mailbox, and you can reduce your waste of paper. If you do not have a “Do Not Post” sticker on your mailbox, Wiado can send you paper stickers free of charge and stick them on your mailbox.

SAY NO TO BROCHURES

The next time someone walks up to you in the pedestrian zone and frantically waves the flyers, just politely decline. Because these flyers are often accepted as a courtesy and then end up in the nearest trash can or on the street a second later. So learn to say no. Because you can reduce your paper consumption and save a lot of paper. See also the article Say no and avoid litter.

READ MAGAZINES ONLINE 

The reader is a great way to read magazines online and save a lot of paper. Magazines are offered at the same price, for example, on Really. See Zero Waste Apps for more helpful tips to reduce paper consumption.

AVOID WRAPPING PAPER

Wrapping paper naturally increases excitement and surprise when gifting. But basically, no wrapping paper is needed. Gifts can also be beautifully wrapped in fabrics or gifted in a reusable mason jar.

USING ONLINE NEWS AND NEWSPAPERS

Today, news from around the world can be viewed, heard, or read in many different ways. Therefore, the paper version of the newspaper is not necessary. To reduce your paper consumption, you can simply consume the news on the newspaper’s website or app or, for example, on Facebook in the news feed.

DIGITAL INVOICE STORAGE

You can save a lot of paper by filing your invoices digitally in a binder system. This means you don’t need a warehouse with large physical folders at home, and you can use your PC’s search function to find a specific document in seconds. The following storage locations are ideal for storing your bills and other documents:

 Notebook / PC itself

 External Hard Drive (available here *)

 Dropbox

 iCloud

This is how you keep your invoices and documents safely and stored, and you can reduce your paper consumption.

CHANGE ACCOUNT STATEMENT TO DIGITAL

I still have some old bank statement folders at home. How superfluous is the paper statement, please? Tax offices and tax advisors now also accept the normal PDF sales view of online banking. To reduce your paper consumption, you can simply tell your bank to change the bank statements of all your accounts from paper to digital. It`s one click. And already, you`ve saved some paper again.

PRINT 2 PAGES ON ONE SHEET

If possible, print out the front and back of your documents. Depending on the printer model, you can easily set this on the printer itself or in the print settings on your PC. This may not make sense for all documents, but it does make sense for most of them. This way, you can save almost 50% of your paper.

SCAN PAPER INSTEAD OF COPYING

Copies create a large amount of paper waste. If you want to reduce your paper consumption, you need to scan the documents and save them digitally or send them to the intended recipient by email. So always get a printer that can also scan documents. This can save you a lot of paper in the long run. And your printer cartridge will be happy too!

EXCHANGE BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

Exchanging books work wonders, especially with books. In many cities, there are even book exchange boxes where you can hand in books you have already read and borrow new ones. Alternatively, you can gift books to a library or eBay classifieds. In either case, you can save paper and conserve natural resources like wood. Also, the exchange is cheap and inspiring because you meet a lot of new authors.

REDUCE PAPER WASTE WITH THE LINEN NAPKIN

Why are cloth napkins more sustainable than paper napkins? Because cloth napkins only need to be made once, and of course, they are washable and reusable. These napkins are also made from sustainable linen. If you want to save paper, reusable napkins are ideal. By the way, they also look great at all birthday parties.

SAVE PAPER WITH HANDKERCHIEFS

What applies to napkins and kitchen paper also applies to handkerchiefs. My grandfather always had handkerchiefs, and over time, we got used to handkerchiefs from plastic containers. But there are still those handkerchiefs to help you cut down on paper waste. This will not waste any natural resources as it is washable and reusable. Tip: Use handkerchiefs like regular handkerchiefs only once and then wash them. Because naturally, there are bacteria in the tissue, just like with normal handkerchiefs.

ENTRY IN ROBINSON’S LIST

Do you know Robinson’s list? It sounds mysterious, but it is nothing more than a list of people who want to protect themselves from unwanted advertising. You can simply register there. The entrance protects you from spam emails, letters, and calls. It works very well because most companies stick to it.

USING USED PAPER AS ADHESIVE

From time to time, you print documents and find that it was not necessary at all. Maybe there was  a mistake in the text, or you just received a regular letter that you would mark as “Waste of paper.” Either way, you have a piece of paper in front of you that is wonderful to use as a note on your desk. The back of letters or other particular documents always makes a wonderful piece of paper. If you want to reduce the use of paper, this tip is extremely important.

FOOD IN THE CONTAINER YOU CARRIED INSTEAD OF PAPER BAGS

What was originally intended to avoid plastic waste now naturally applies to reducing paper waste as well. Even if the plastic bag is gradually replaced by paper bags, both bags are superfluous. So you can save plastic and paper by having your food placed in containers that you brought with you instead of wrapping it in plastic and paper. Also, read the article on reducing food waste. What applies to groceries also applies to your normal purchases. Take a jute bag or backpack with you, and you can buy a lot lose and without plastic. It works perfectly and helps reduce plastic and paper waste.

USE RECYCLED PAPER

Get recycled paper for your prints. You can be sure that the resource wood has already been reused at least once. Of course, this is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than buying freshly produced paper. By the way, printer paper is also available in paper packaging, even though many suppliers still pack it in plastic. Here you can get good recycled paper * and support me and  WWF in their work to protect the environment.

REDUCING PAPER CONSUMPTION IS NO PROBLEM!

Like many other problems,  high paper consumption arose out of habit. To conserve resources, we have to work against them now. With tips on how to avoid paper, this shouldn’t be so difficult anymore. In the spirit of the Zero waste lifestyle,  for example, you should reuse things, recycle them, and use durable products like cloth handkerchiefs. All of these tips cut down on paper consumption and make your daily life more sustainable.