Paper Recycling

As members of the Greater Houston community, we have an obligation to do our part in making it a better place to live and work. Let’s face it, we are all in this together and we all need to do our part. Most people always have the same response "but what can I do?" The answer is simple, you do what you can do! We provide high-security document shredding, we can recycle rather than using landfills. We are pleased to report that 100% of our waste stream is recycled. You will never see an On-Site Shred truck in a landfill. This is our company policy and is 100% guaranteed. Our primary client base is individuals and companies who require secure paper shredding, but we also have a large number of clients who retain our services for paper recycling. Our document shredding specialists work with clients setting up programs for secure paper shredding. We also work with clients setting up programs for paper recycling.

Every successful paper recycling program begins with proper organization. In order to accomplish this, we suggest appointing an individual to be the paper recycling coordinator. This individual will spearhead setting up the paper recycling containers and educating employees on their role and what is expected of them for a successful paper recycling program. This individual should be energetic with strong communication skills and employed with the company for at least a year. A good candidate would be an individual who is familiar with other staff members, knows the company, and how to get around the various spaces. Being knowledgeable about paper recycling is not of great importance.

Depending on the size of the company, the paper recycling coordinator may want to recruit co-workers to help with the mission. We find that one individual per department or one individual per floor is sufficient. These individuals should be energetic as well. It will be their responsibility to get their fellow co-workers excited about the program. These individuals will also monitor the containers to assure that no non-recyclable material finds their way in them. If you decide to team up with On-Site Shred, our containers allow only paper to fit through the openings which eliminates the need to monitor for non-recyclable material.

The overall success of your paper recycling program lies with the employees. A well-informed and well-educated staff is crucial to obtain your desired results. It only takes a few minutes a week to educate your staff on the importance of paper recycling.

Choosing the right type and size of containers is very important as well. Every office is different, so a one size fits all approach doesn’t work. Our first suggestion is to try and get an estimate as to the amount of paper your office will produce. We offer the following guideline to help determine your company waste stream;

First, determine an amount that your office could produce. You know your company better than we do, but on average, half a pound a day is pretty accurate per employee

# of employees x average pounds produced by employee (0.5) = Total produced

Next, let’s take that number and plug it into a yearly average.

Total Produced x average work days per year (255) = yearly average

We wish for 100% participation in the paper recycling program, but we know that is not realistic. Again, you know your company better than we do, but let’s use a 75% participation rate.

Yearly average x participation rate (.75) = yearly total

And finally, take the yearly total and divide by 12 months to give you your monthly estimate.

Yearly total/ 12 = monthly estimate.

Not that we have a monthly estimate we can take a look at the size and number of containers that will most likely be needed.

If you don’t like that approach, set a few containers out and monitor how fast they fill up. If they fill up too soon, add more containers!

Being "Green" has gotten a lot of publicity in the last couple of years, and people really do want to do their part. Give people the right tools, and amazing results will appear. Here is a list of some interesting facts about paper recycling.

  • It requires 7,000 gallons of water and 17 trees to produce 1 ton of paper. The energy consumed in this process is more than producing 1 ton of steel or glass.
  • Among the 30 largest cities in the United States, Houston is dead last when it comes to recycling. We can change this!
  • 500,000 trees are destroyed to produce the nationwide Sunday newspaper run.
  • The average American consumes 7 trees a year in wood products and paper.
  • The amount of paper and wood that find their way to the landfill could heat 50,000,000 homes for the next 20 years.
  • 1 ton of recycled paper will save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water!

Working together with our clients, on a monthly average, we save 1,275 trees, 28,500 gallons of oil, 225 cubic feet of landfill space, 300,000 kilowatts of energy, and 525,000 gallons of water. Working together we really do make a difference.

We still have lots of room for improvement, and it all starts with education. The more people educated on the importance of recycling the more people will become involved. Go Green!