Green house: you don't have to be a big company to make a big difference by recycling

Entrepreneur, August, 1996 by Cynthia E. Griffin

Space is a precious commodity for homebased entrepreneurs. Consequently, the thought of allocating a portion of that territory to a nonbusiness purpose - even a worthy cause like recycling - inspires uneasy feelings.

Recycling advocate Alan Orloff understands completely, and he wants to soothe your worries. "You do not need a lot of extra space to recycle," says Orloff. "Everybody has time to do it; once you learn what to do, it becomes second nature." Orloff should know. He publishes two newsletters from his Virginia home: Waste Reduction Tips since 1995 and the Recycled Products Business Letter since 1993.

The first step is to do a waste audit. "What are you using and what are you throwing away?" asks Orloff. The idea, he explains, is to find ways to reduce the amount you use so there is less to recycle.

During the audit, determine what is recyclable; for most homebased businesses, that's primarily paper.

"Anything on paper - reports, documents, drafts, etc. - an be recycled," says Orloff, adding that there is a growing demand for mixed office paper. Mixed paper includes junk mail, manila file folders, hanging file folders, paper envelopes and more.

What exactly can you recycle? Orloff offers some suggestions:

* If you get boxes, manila envelopes or packing supplies from your supplier, save and reuse them to send items to your customers. "Your local Mail Boxes Etc. may also take the peanuts and bubble wrap," adds Orloff. Not all stores do this, so check for the nearest location.

* Reuse rubber bands and paper clips from, items you receive in the mail.

* Don't toss toner cartridges; they can be recycled or remanufactured. Orloff suggests looking in the Yellow Pages for a recycler or contacting the dealer who sold you the cartridge.

* Corrugated boxes are easily recyclable, and there are businesses that will pay you for your cardboard.

* Most communities recycle the numbers 1 and 2 plastic soda an milk jugs; if you look at the bottom of plastic containers and see a 1 or 2 inside a triangle, these are recyclable In March, a survey of 255 cities by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found P percent had curbside recycling, and three out of four municipalities surveyed offered this service on a weekly basis. Call the public works, environmental or recycling program in your city or county information about specific services available.

Orloff also suggests taking these steps to reduce waste:

* Print or copy draft documents on both sides of the paper.

* Use e-mail instead of paper messages.

* Use a Post-it-type note instead of a full sheet of paper for a fax cover sheet.

* Use plain paper in your fax machine; thermal paper does not recycle well.

* When printing a document that is just for your use, consider using a smaller type size@ and before you print, try to catch as many errors as possible.

You can also help the environment by purchasing recycled products. The American Plastics Council has several publications that help consumers and businesses buy products made of recycled materials. Recycled Plastic Products Source Book and Shop Reiycled! are both available free from the council by calling (800) 2-HELP-90. The organization can also provide a national list of locations that will recycle plastics.