Tips

America uses approximately 31.5 million tons of printing and writing paper each year, an amount requiring over 535 million trees and more than 12 billion gallons of oil to produce.

Here are tips to help choose the most eco-friendly papers for your school and office needs:

• Now more paper products are recovered than sent to landfills in the United States, but 65% of used printing and writing paper still ends up in the waste stream.
• The paper industry ranks first in use of industrial process water, third in releasing toxic chemicals, and fourth in emissions of air pollution that is known to impair respiratory health.
• Small changes in our paper usage and purchasing practices can help limit the destruction of forests and loss of habitat, reduce pollution and minimize the stress on our landfills.
• Buying chlorine-free products and including post-consumer fibers will reduce the strain on natural resources, promote resource conservation and waste reduction, and minimize toxic emissions.