Commercial Recycling
For more information about commercial recycling, see:
Focus On... Money-Saving Ideas
Focus On… Waste Reduction: Office Paper
Americans throw away enough office paper each year to build a 12-foot high wall
stretching from New York to San Francisco - that's 10,000 or so sheets per person!
You're probably thinking, "What's the big deal, my office doesn't spend much on
paper." But what
most people don't realize is that the
cost of buying paper is just the tip of the paper iceberg. For each sheet of paper
used, a company incurs not only purchasing costs, but also storage, copying, printing,
postage, disposal, and recycling—and it adds up.
A recent Minnesota study estimates
that associated paper costs could be as much as 31 times the purchasing costs (not
including labor). So, that ream of paper that you paid $5 for really could cost
up to $155!
- Citigroup, a large financial services company, determined that if each employee
used double-sided copying to conserve just one sheet of paper each week, the firm
would save $700,000 each year.
- Bank of America cut its paper consumption by 25% in two years by increasing the
use of on-line forms and reports, e-mail, double-sided copying, and lighter-weight
paper.
Information obtained from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Focus On… Recycling: Cardboard
Corrugated cardboard still makes up 6.6 percent of Anoka County’s garbage, that’s
an estimated 10,200 tons of cardboard a year. Even though cardboard is readily recyclable
it is turning up in the garbage.
Is the nature of your business to have product or parts delivered in cardboard boxes?
This means you probably have a lot of boxes for disposal. Corrugated cardboard is
100% recyclable and recycling these boxes can save your business money.
Recycling corrugated cardboard can be economically beneficial for your business,
and it can be easily targeted in any recycling program. Minnesota companies are
at various stages in establishing cardboard recycling programs; while many have
well-established programs, others are just beginning to initiate a program.
In general, recycling markets for corrugated cardboard are well established, and
many waste service providers offer cardboard recycling too.
Anoka County Integrated Waste Management
Government Center
2100 3rd Avenue, STE 340
Anoka, MN 55303-5032
Phone: 763-323-5730 | Fax: 763-323-5731 | E-mail:
use the Contact Us page