If you work in a big busy office, you may feel like you spend a lot of your time searching for files, going through stacks of paper and constantly retrieving documents from the printer. Perhaps you’ve noticed that your office is producing a lot of paper waste, or the expenses of ink cartridges and printing paper are building up. Maybe you just want your business to be more eco-friendly. Whatever the reason, today, more and more businesses are choosing to go paperless.
There are many benefits of going paperless, from saving money within your business, to running a more organised and efficient company, to helping the environment. Did you know that 90% of accumulated office waste is paper? If you are ready to reap the benefits of going paperless in your office, read on for our top tips.
No one likes running back and forth to the printer every time they need to share a document with a colleague, particularly if there’s a queue of you waiting for your print-outs. Using digital databases such as Google Docs will save time, money and trees. When you switch to using a digital database, it is easy to share documents, spreadsheets, slides and surveys with coworkers that would otherwise need to be printed out.
Opt for paperless billing and invoicing
Your finance team may be producing a lot of paper waste in the form of bills and invoices. There are many platforms out there that allow businesses to easily and safely produce paperless bills and invoices for clients, which can again save your company both time and money. Using online payments is a fast and easy way to reduce your paper use.
When holding meetings within the company, use technology instead of paper. If you need to present something or are running a proposal by a colleague, there are many online platforms that you can use to share presentations and files easily with coworkers. Instead of printing out handouts for a meeting, hold the meeting and then email across the handout to your employees instead. There is less chance of them losing your notes and they will always have access to the document should they need to read over it again.
Choose online storage and file sharing
Over the course of a year, think about how much waste paper stacks up in your office. This may be in filing cabinets, desk drawers or in the copier room. Between print mistakes, handouts, billing, old reports, presentations and junk mail, a lot of unnecessary paper is likely going to waste. Using online storage and file sharing is a great way to keep organised and to save time that would otherwise be spent searching through endless pieces of paper. Having all of your documents stored safely in one place online is one way to run a business more efficiently.
At Devon Contract Waste (DCW), we understand that, from time to time, all offices are going to produce paper waste. We have a strong belief in paper recycling and our primary focus is on sustainable practice. Our team offer a collection and payment service to businesses who produce large quantities of baled paper and cardboard waste. For more information about our commercial paper recycling services, visit our website today.