Does your company have green initiatives?
Ameritek Document Solutions is positioned to help companies in Northern Alabama achieve their green initiatives goals. We go well beyond just looking at copiers and printers. Our workflow assessment process is designed to put your technology and workflow in alignment with all of your current business initiatives including sustainability. Ready to get started? Begin with the 10 steps below.
1. Buy Remanufactured Toner Cartridges
Environmental Benefits
Buying remanufactured toner cartridges and recycling empty cartridges are easy ways to
reduce the negative impact that these products have on our environment. Office
equipment that uses a toner cartridge, rather than requiring toner to be added to the
machine, should use a remanufactured toner cartridge which will reduce the associated
environmental hazards and increase financial savings. Many toner cartridge
remanufacturers supply customers with remanufactured toner cartridges and collect spent cartridges.
The typical used toner cartridge weighs about 3 pounds and is composed of 40% plastic,
40% metal and smaller percentages of rubber, paper, foam, and toner. The plastic is
made of engineering grade polymers and takes at least 1,000 years to decompose.
However, approximately 97% of these combined components can be recycled and reused.
Conserves Resources
Using remanufactured toner cartridges reduces pollution and waste by minimizing the
amount of materials, such as plastic, steel, aluminum, and rubber, disposed of in
landfills. It also conserves natural resources by eliminating the need for virgin
materials used to make new cartridges. For each pound of new material used in
remanufacturing, 5 to 9 pounds of virgin materials are conserved.
Saves Energy
Using remanufactured toner cartridges also saves energy. Approximately 3 quarts
of oil are burned in the production of a single new toner cartridge. A used toner
cartridge can be remanufactured toner up to four times, depending on its type and
condition, thus potentially saving up to 12 quarts of fuel.
2. Record Printing Cost
By adding software to workplace computers which displays their printing balance on the
screen, staff are made more aware of their usage. By making employees more aware they
are more likely to change their printing habits; printing only when necessary and overall
reducing printing costs.
3. Eliminate Waste in Printing
All too often we print a document to discover that the last page only has a web address at
the bottom, or other printable space is wasted. GreenPrint and EcoPrint2 are software
programs that identify these areas of waste in printing, alert the user of possible wasted
space, and recommend how to eliminate it. The user can then decide whether or not to
accept the program recommendations before printing. GreenPrint claims to save businesses 17 percent on printing materials and $100 — per user — annually.
4. Go Digital
Is it necessary to print out a meeting agenda for every member? Or can you incorporate it
into a slideshow, or simply send it via email? How about posting employee manuals and other materials online rather than distributing — and onerously updating — print copies? Increasing numbers of digital storage devices and systems for businesses make going digital very easy to do.
5. Buy Environmentally Friendly Paper
Try as we may to go digital, we still need paper, so try to go with the least of the evils. Insist on chlorine free paper, and look for high amounts of post-consumer recycled content. You can also look for paper that has been made with more sustainable substances like bamboo, hemp, or organic cotton.
6. Update Mailing Lists
This is a small but effective tip; by ensuring your mailing lists are up to date, you avoid
sending out unnecessary letters, thus saving the paper, printing, and postage.
7. Photocopier and Printer Settings
Ensure the photocopier and printer defaults back to single copies after somebody has used it. You may also want to set them to print double-sided by default. Use the draft printing mode whenever possible (which is more than you think), and avoid color printing.
8. Use a Smaller Font
Although you don’t want to make your employees blind, reducing the font size in documents can save reams of paper each week.
9. Use Multi-Purpose Machines
Each piece of office equipment you buy produces heaps of toxic substances in both the
manufacturing and disposal stages. So the fewer office machines you buy, the smaller your footprint will be. Consider using multipurpose machines that handle copying, scanning, faxing, and printing, as well as other multitasking machines.
10. Add a Sleep Mode to Your Office Equipment
Running offices equipment at full capacity during breaks and lower usage periods your
business is wasting precious energy costing them more in electricity and additionally causing their equipment to be worn out at a faster rate.