National Recycling Week November 9-15

Recycling. It's something that is close to our hearts here in the Library. I mean why wouldn't it be? All those books full of paper!

But aside from all the useful, inside-of-books paper in the Library, the print zone is located here. Printing demands mean we can sometimes chomp through at least 5 reams of paper a day! But not all of this paper gets stapled or bound and submitted as assessments or other work. Some of it gets...

DISCARDED.

That's right, left behind. And it is this paper that we conveniently forget about in our quest for printed perfection which accounts for about a quarter of paper use in the Print Zone per day. 

What usually happens to it:

This: it gets left behind on any flat(ish) surface.

Or, um, this: it gets crumpled up and hidden behind books or on top of shelves or on the floor or under a beanbag.

What we would like to happen to it:

This: if it can be re-used as note paper - that is, it is B&W when you wanted colour or you've printed more copies than you needed - put it in the tray at the far end of the zone.

Or this: if it can't be re-used - that is, it is double-sided or hacked to bits by a printer malfunction  - then put it in the big blue recycling bin!

Being responsible with our unwanted paper is only the beginning though. Take it back a few steps: all this paper waste could be lessened with a bit of forethought. Try taking a few seconds to think before you print.

Does this need to be printed?

Could I save it to the Cloud instead? 

 Could it be printed double-sided to save on paper? 

What do I have to do to get my printing right the first time?