Do you use recycled office paper? You might recycle your newspapers at home, maybe bottles and cans, too. But is your office an environmentally friendly organization? Just take a minute and think about all the hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper you must go through in any given work week. Now think about what you could accomplish by recycling all of those sheets of paper.

And even more novel then recycling paper made from trees, consider all the products on the market these days that aren't made from trees at all. Some ways to dive into the world of recycled office paper:

1. Put cost aside for a minute and consider the long-term benefits of switching to recycled office paper.

2. Don't count on the fact that the paper made from trees you are putting in the recycling receptacle is enough.

3. Incorporate other recycled paper products into your workplace.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Revamp the budget in order to make room for recycled office paper

Does recycled paper cost more money? Absolutely. Are there ways to work it into your budget? Of course. The cost for 5,000 sheets of recycled copy paper is, on average, 50% more. It may be a shock at first to your usual paper product budget, but if you are going to help the world go green, there's no better place to start then with paper.

I recommend: Businesses like Treecycle specialize in recycled paper products of every kind. They have a recycled office paper list that includes copier and printer paper in large quantities to appeal to the business owner. GreenLine also offers environmentally-sound paper products in addition to other office essential goods.

Do more then putting out a recycling bin

Where the confusion may lie is that, unfortunately, although you may be recycling paper, it's not necessarily being recycled back into paper again. Often, it's made into packaging or other materials that have a slim chance of seeing their way back into your office. The other problem is that the office paper that you are recycling was still originally made from trees which sort of defeats the purpose of protecting the environment in the first place.

I recommend: In order to be 100% sure there are no chips of bark in your ream of paper, you have to be sure the recycled paper you are buying is 100% recycled. Recycle Now explains how just because paper may be labeled recycled doesn't mean it is 100% recycled. Know what you're buying. Conservatree gives a great History of Paper that gives great insight into the world of paper and other useful recycled office paper information.

Continue the effort beyond recycled office paper

Once you find yourself sure about how to find recycled office paper, consider what other paper products could afford to go green. If you look around your office you may be amazed at how little time it would take to make your business officially green.

I recommend: The Green Office, as its name suggests, has a number of other paper products that are recycled. Labels, dividers, envelopes, you name it, it was recycled. Green Home, in addition to copy and printer paper, offers recycled manila folders and sticky notes.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Go big or go home, right? Don't stop at paper. Although recycled paper is the obvious place to start, why not keep on going? Look into the other products you can buy recycled. Furniture, binders, even office equipment can be recycled - in a different way, of course.