All businesses seem to use lots of paper. Computers have not created the paperless office! Rather computers, fax machines and photocopiers all make it even easier to produce more and more paper. While much of this paper gets filed and kept, much also is thrown away. Something everyone can do at work is recycle paper. In the UK almost 60% of waste ends up in landfill sites while Switzerland only dumps 20% this way. So there is lots of scope for improvement.
Recycling can be cost-effective for offices as they produce a lot of paper, and much of it is good quality rather than newsprint, making it worth collecting. Sorting the paper, keeping white separate from coloured, and ensuring it is free of contaminants such as rubber bands and plastic wrappers, makes it more valuable. Provide recycling bins, especially by photocopiers and computer printers, and get someone to collect it. There are many paper recycling companies. You may be able also to recycle the shredded paper from shredding machines. Some companies, such will collect and shred your sensitive documents and then recycle the shredded material.
Any office will also periodically have old telephone and other directories to dispose of. These too can be recycled but don’t put them in the recycled paper bins. The Yellow Pages website has a section on directory recycling.