Why do we need to save paper?

When computers first came in there was a great deal of talk about homes and offices becoming paper free. It is a lovely concept but sadly, it hasn’t happened. Instead we are using more paper than ever before.

At the moment the world gets through around one million tonnes of paper every day. This is a phenomenal amount and even in the newest efficient methods of papermaking, it still takes around 12 trees to make just one tonne of paper. Even when you consider that recovered paper and wood waste (such as wood chips and sawdust) are now used extensively in paper manufacturing, it still means a lot of trees are cut down every day to supply the world with paper.

Of course the good side is that there is more and more use of renewable wood for paper; tree planting offsets a good percentage of tree felling. But even so it does make sense to save paper where we can - although we don’t need to go to the extreme that was common in the mid Victoria era when people used to write first one way and then across the other way over the top of the original writing to save paper. That must have made reading letters from friends especially challenging!

Saving paper is really common sense, but it is a habit few of us have grown up with, so giving it some thought can help. The biggest change most people can make is to use both sides of a piece of paper. Unproven statistics say over 75% of paper is only used on one side. I don’t know if that is an accurate picture or not, but looking at my paper habits, I am afraid it may well be true for me.

Before our milk delivery went on line, I would always tear off a new piece of paper to leave a message instead of crossing out an old message and using the other side of the paper.

There are some good little ideas around now to help save paper. For instance, most mobile phones have a memo or note tool on them. You can make your grocery or other lists here instead of on paper. It may seem strange at first, but once you get used to using this, it will become so easy you will forget why you ever used pen and paper!

For use around the house, investing in a small white board is a great idea. Jot all those messages and bits and pieces down and then simply wipe clean and start again. Easy and long term will save money on paper too!

Stop printing everything from your computer! It is a habit that is very difficult to drop, but today everything can be saved and accessed so easily on discs or flash drives. A paperless office and home is becoming more and more a possibility.

We have already mentioned using both sides of a piece of paper, and that means on the computer as well as writing. All printers now have a double sided facility, check out this feature on your printer; once you are confident using it, you may be surprised how much paper you can save by printing on both sides of the page.

Saving paper is worth thinking about. All savings will help to preserve the wonderful and essential forest areas of our world.

If in any doubt about any of the information covered in health and nutrition related articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.

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