Other expenses associated with paper use include postage, file cabinets, forms, rental costs for the space devoted to file cabinets, off-site storage, and waste removal. Another significant cost is that productivity often suffers when employees work on paper. For example, it takes far less time to post a document or send it electronically than to load a machine with paper, fix a paper jam, address envelopes, sort and distribute envelopes, file paper, and haul away used paper. And, when documents are sent electronically, they reach the readers instantaneously. When an organization decreases paper use, many environmental benefits are realized.
Source reduction keeps paper from landfills and incinerators.
It also reduces the use of fossil fuels and water. And source reduction saves trees, which absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife. Many companies have taken steps to decrease paper use. The Boston Globe recently announced plans to reduce the size of their newspaper, as many other publishers have done. Several years ago, Bell Atlantic trimmed the size of their telephone books by fitting more information and less white space on each page.