Ever have nightmares about drowning in huge piles of paper?  Many do, but can’t realize that there are real world activities which will reduce both the bad dreams, and the amount of paper which we waste every day. A lot of times when we enter into the realm of recycling our office paper, we forget about one third of the recycling mantra — reduce, reuse and recycle. I am talking specifically about the reuse part.

If you spend just a few minutes a day, perhaps at the end or the beginning of your work day, you can get a grip on the mounting piles of paperwork with often seem to have taken on a life of their own. Minimize your annoyance, eat these awkward-looking and dusty piles of used paper! Banish them to their proper and rightful place. We’re not advocating that you become a “neat freak” but controlling waste will greatly reduce your stress, and your carbon footprint as well.

Hopefully, after you have started to use these tips, you’ll be able to prop your feet up, have a cup of tea or coffee, and pop an old Dr. Who DVD into the player, confident in the fact that your are helping our earth and Mother Nature breathe just a little bit easier.

1)  Pitch that pile of junk mail you just retrieved from the mailbox, into the recycle bin. But, stop — take off your address labels or shred those free credit card offers first. If you are feeling really thrifty and in the mood to start on the more difficult reuse part — take any of those pieces of paper that have a blank backside to them and cut into squares, then staple and voila — a free and somewhat colorful scratchpad.  During idle moments you can try and decipher what they used to say. It’s a rather inexpensive and creative way to recycle.

2)  Keep only necessary receipts and for some of these, you can scan into the computer then stuff the real receipts into a box in the attic. They won’t become yellowed on the computer, but always make a backup file and periodically update your important paperwork off the computer, by using a flash drive or external hard drive.

3)  Shredding is not only ecologically aware, but this is another factor in the “reuse” part of recycling.  Shredding compacts waste in the recycling bin, but it can also be used as package stuffing then recycled after that.  Besides, you know how difficult it is to corral those static-filled foam peanuts. A stiff breeze blows in suddenly and it’ll look like mid-winter at the north pole. They can also stick to your hair or your cat, and both are not a pretty sight!

4)  Reduce your junk mail! I know you feel that allowing all of that super-interesting junk mail about foot fungus cures and how to make yourself as strong as Superman, gives work to the postal workers (and I know they thank you every time a pile goes through the sorting machines), but it’s a pain in the you know what. Junk mail is wasteful communication, because it’s done in a blanket style and not very thought out. It’s a waste of energy and our resources, and especially of paper. Sign up for the do not mail and do not call list, if you have that in your country. You can probably do it all online.

5)  Pay bills online and get your checks electronically.  If you see the lock icon in your browser, you are safe. Try and be on your account site for as little time as possible. Make sure your wireless network has a firewall and that you keep up to date on your anti-virus software. If you are in a coffee shop, cruising the internet because they have free wireless, then for heaven’s sake do not enter any of your sites, like your bank, that use a password. People make a living by driving by and snatching personal data out of the ether.

6)  About the reusing part — Try and get as much use out of your paper products as you can. As we have mentioned — use shredded paper as packing material. Make scratch pads out of blank junk paper. Use clean cardboard boxes as carriers for your groceries (in your car) and when they’re worn out, break them down and recycle. For the latter, you can also use boxes for filing away those scanned receipts and other documents.

You can rid yourself of 75% of the usual office paper waste, if you follow these 6 steps. Don’t feel like you’re drowning under the paper. Be carefree and paper-free and as paperless as you can. Remember your three “Rs” — Reuse, Reduce & Recycle!