Recycling has become ever more important. Limited resources and economic constraints are resulting in a profound upward shift in recycling among consumers and businesses. Recycling saves money by cutting costs. Increased efficiency and greater profits are making many people realize the benefits of recycling in all industries.

Some industries, like the steel industry, have been recycling the majority of their products for a long time. Others are only recently starting to become involved. The electronics industry started to promote recycling within the last four years, later than most industries already involved in recycling. As consumer awareness and demand grows, recycling will take on more and more importance.

Businesses obviously benefit from the cost-cutting aspects of recycling. Small businesses, independent contractors and entrepreneurs can benefit as well. Freelancers and others who have unconventional work lives can use recycling to increase their savings. Here are six tips for freelancers who want to recycle and conserve their paper supplies.

1. Only use electronic documents. The easiest way to save paper is to stop using it. Scan all paper documents into a computer and store them as Word documents or PDFs. Give up faxes and use email for all correspondence. Stop using regular mail, as well, unless absolutely necessary. Hold off on printing unless required, such as for important documents like tax returns. When printing, use both sides of a piece of paper. Security concerns can be addressed by storing electronic documents on a portable USB drive. This approach cuts paper usage to zero.

2. Use recycled paper. Sometimes it is not possible to stop using all paper so quickly. Use recycled paper for all paper needs as much as possible. Choose the brand with the highest recycled content to maximize usage. Federal standards stipulate that recycled paper products contain at least 70% post-consumer content. Stick to brands that offer 80% or 90% or more post-consumer content. An additional advantage is that clients may appreciate the business more. Put the fact that only recycled paper is used on advertising.

3. Sign contracts digitally. Eliminate paper contracts completely by transferring them to PDFs and signing them electronically. Electronic signatures are becoming more and more popular. They can be created using a touch-sensitive pad to “write” the signature into an electronic format. An alternate way of creating a signature is to draw it using a program like MS Paint. Electronic signatures are considered legal and binding in most countries. Using electronic signatures eliminates another category of paper and helps the environment.

4. Use electronic invoices. An invoice is an itemized bill for goods sold or services rendered. Switch to sending invoices by email. Tell customers and clients not to print out a copy. Also, tell them to start using direct deposits or PayPal for payments and not paper checks. Several programs and websites available for free allow invoices to be created securely. Electronic invoices are delivered much faster and much cheaper than paper invoices. Creating invoices electronically eliminates data entry and easier tracking of payments.

5. Use tree free paper. Use paper made from agricultural fibers instead of trees. A popular material used to make this kind of paper is hemp. Tree free paper is better than recycled paper in terms of post-consumer content. No paper made from trees is used at all in the process. Tree free paper can also be made from sugarcane. Historically, hemp, linen and straw have been used to make paper in lieu of trees.

6. Use mineral-based paper. GPA, a Chicago paper company, has recently launched the ultimate in tree free paper. Ultra Green, their paper substitute, is made from inorganic mineral powders. The primary components are limestone and calcium carbonate, with trace amounts of a non-toxic resin and high-density polyethylene as a binding agent. Ultra Green is resistant to water, grease and oil damage and will not yellow or decompose over time. Replacing one ton of tree paper with Ultra Green is enough to save over 7,000 gallons of water.

This guest article has been contributed by Tom who is a full-time writer and a product analyst on CartridgeSave, a store offering bargain ink cartridges.

photo credit: epSos.de