PUT YOUR OFFICE ON A DIET!
The Waste Reduction Plan That Saves You Money. All the diet books say the same thing: you'll get better results by making small changes and following them consistently. An office waste prevention (or waste-loss) plan is the same. Most office waste is paper, so these easy changes will help you target the fat in your paper consumption. The less paper you buy, the more you save. Here's the skinny on less paper waste.

Fax: Program your fax to print only to print group confirmation reports, not report after every transmission. Most machines will still let you request an individual confirmation report for those times when your really need one.

Printers: Set your printers to default to duplex, not single-side copies. Don't worry: one-page documents aren't a problem. The printer will pull the paper through twice, but will PRINT only on one side; You shouldn't worry: two-sided letters are accepted everywhere. Newspapers and books are printed on two sides, after all. Every two-sided page means you've cut paper consumption by 50%. If you're a big paper user, the saving will add up fast.

Computers:Decreasing your margin size in any word processing program even slightly can make a big difference, you'll be able to cut down on document length (but not necessarily wordiness) and save paper. Some smart companies practice something called "page reduction," reducing documents so they fit onto one page.

Copiers:The first rule of course is to make duplexing (double-sided copying) the standard. Next, track your paper usage by recording the copier counter number each month. Then set a realistic waste-reduction goal: cut back on copying by 5% - 10%. If the average ream of paper cost about $2.50, multiply that by hundreds of reams you purchase annually and you'll see big saving.

Forms: Use machine and computers which electronically store forms and produce them on demand. You save on printing costs by as much as 45% and on storage and labor costs. What's more, changes to forms can be made easily.

OFFICE WASTE PREVENTION PROGRAM:
Duplex Copying For Documents Urged According to the American Paper Institute, bond and writing paper (which includes photocopy and laser-printing paper) accounted for 41 % of the total paper waste in the U.S. weighing three million tons per year.

The City of Los Angeles' bond and copier paper consumption in Fiscal Year 93-94 amounted to $3 million. This is equal to about 1,264,298 reams of bond/copier paper or 632 million sheets. These reams weighed 3,161 tons, enough to fill 9483 cubic yards of landfill space. But this data is limited to paper which is purchased through the City's Materials Management System (MMS) and all "offline" purchases (petty cash, one time orders, etc.) are not included.

There are over 676 photocopier machines in City offices. Of this number, there are only 57 high-volume machines, (located in central duplicating shops, selected City offices) which use 51% of the paper. The low and mid-volume machines, which comprise 91% of the total copy machines, use 49% of the total bond/copier paper.

If all paper used by the 676 photocopier machines are copied only one side, the usage will amount to 18 million sheets of paper equivalent to 32,000 reams of bond/copier paper per month. The cost to purchase 32,000 reams (average prices $2.50/ream) is $80,000 per month. Duplex copying saves on paper. For every 2 pages we copy on 2 sides (using one sheet of paper), our saving is 50 %.

Hard dollar saving is generated through reduced purchasing and hauling/disposal avoided costs. Other cost savings include reduced records management and storage, mailing, filling office space, as well as environmental savings.

Duplex copying cannot be achieved 100 percent. Old thermal fax paper being copied onto a copier machine is mostly a page-by-page copy; legal documents, court papers, cover sheets, etc., may need to be copied on one side only, odd numbered documents, and originals from laser computer printers which do not have duplex capability.

City employees can do two (2) important steps to reduce paper usage: 1. reduce the number of copies being sent or mailed out for distribution and, 2. copy multi-page documents on duplex mode. Given this scenario, the savings is purchasing costs alone is over $300,000

Impact On Recycling: With increased duplex-copying and reduction in the numbers of copies distributed, the savings generated will gradually reduce the tonnage coming from recycling between 5-10 tons per year. As recycling is phased into more City facilities, collection of recyclables will remain steady, and revenue, due to better market prices, is projected to escalate despite a slight reduction in tonnage.

IMPACT ON WASTE PREVENTION: The saving by duplex copying can be applied to all types of office paper. By using both sides of any office paper (pads, file folders, index cards, forms, etc.), the waste is cut in half.

CHANGE CAN MAKE CHANGE
Cheers! Waste Prevention Through Beverage Rebate What do coffee, tea, juice and soda have to do with saving the planet? A lot. Because instead of buying beverages in a disposable cup with a lid, City employees can now use their own mugs to buy a large-size, 12-ounce vended beverage (coffee, soda, juice, etc.) from particpating vendors, and get a 10 cent rebate. At just one drink a day, that rebate can add up fast, for savings of about $53 annually. Save $53 per year by just using your own cup!

The Reuse-a-Mug Program, started June 1994, is designed to divert 23,000 disposable foam cups and lids that were disposed in our landfill in 1993. CFRP kicked off this special program by selling its OWN $1, 12-ounce, 100% recycled plastic insulated mug with lid at City cafeterias, snack shops, and participating vendors in the Los Angeles Mall.

THE BEST SELLER:
Putting Environmental Messages on Paychecks
What's really number one on the best-read list? No, not the newest Stephen King; It's paychecks. So why not use this best-seller to reach your audience. The Integrated Solid Waste Management Office (ISWMO) and the City Facilities Recycling Program (CFRP) of the City of Los Angeles promote its waste prevention, reuse and recycling guides and tips through messages printed right on City paychecks, you too can publicize Reduce, Re-use, Recycle tips, or information about your company's environmental goals. Or announce which department is recycling the most, or using the least paper. You've got a built-in, interested readership; talk to them.

The City of Los Angeles also uses environmental messages on its metered mail ... a refreshing thought for the "green" public.