Paper Trails

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January 7, 2011 by Ellen V

Lately, Eric and I have been struggling (once again) with how to reduce our waste.  At this time, we’re specifically concerned about our paper waste.  While we have paper recycling, we often fill our container in less than two weeks, and it’s only picked up monthly!

Eric is a student, and his research (reading articles and book chapters for class and for papers) as well as his self and peer editing definitely contribute to our paper use.  One of his resolutions in 2011 is to cut down on his use of paper.  He bought a Kindle recently, and he seems to think he’ll be able keep from printing as many articles and such.

Overflowing Paper Waste

Another problem, though, is mail.  It seems as though the vast majority of our paper waste comes from our newspaper, which we get delivered four days a week.  Eric and I both really like the idea of getting the newspaper, but when push comes to shove, we rarely read the thing.  Plus, it’s making so much garbage!  On the other hand, we love the idea of staying caught up on world events when we actually do pick it up and, of course, we love doing the crossword puzzles!

We’re weighing the costs (financial and otherwise) of trading in our beloved Chicago Tribune for something like the New Yorker, which we both love, but we haven’t come to a definitive conclusion.  We’re trying our best to be responsible waste producers!