Go paper free, Win an iPad

Contributed

Tired of all that paper building up around your home, want to reduce the clutter and get organized?  The Regional Waste Reduction Office can help with the launch of a new Paper Free Home campaign, which promotes eliminating unnecessary waste and using less paper. Plus, if you sign up to take the Paper Free Pledge, you could win one of three new Apple iPads being given away in time for Christmas!

Waste Reduction Supervisor Peter Rotheisler with the Regional District says residents in the Central Okanagan have a great track record when it comes to recycling, but the recycle model still involves generating waste, then having to collect, transport and process it. “Eighty five per cent of the material collected from the curbside recycling program is paper and the net cost of this program to residents in the Central Okanagan is more than two million dollars annually.  Recycling is expensive and there’s a simple way of significantly reducing these costs by going paper free or reducing the amount of paper you consume. “

The Waste Reduction Office conducted a pilot project in the summer of 2012, where 16 homes from Peachland to Lake Country volunteered to collect all the paper delivered to their home for an entire month, including newspapers, door hangers, flyers and everything in their mail box. At the end of the month the average home had collected 13 pounds of paper, the highest home collecting 25 pounds, the lowest 1.6 pounds. A few of the homes that were already paper free were on average collecting only 2.2 pounds of paper.

Waste Reduction Facilitator Rae Stewart says, ‘Just imagine how much paper could be reduced if every household took even a few steps to become paper free! It can cut down on clutter, help you get organized, even free up more space in your recycling cart.  Imagine knowing exactly where your bills are stored without wading through stacks of paper cluttering your coffee table or countertop. Going paper free means you’re not handling a mountain of flyers, ads or bills. Reducing your paper also means when it’s time to find that permission slip for your child’s school or the receipt from that new DVD player you’ll be able to find it because it’s not lost in a pile of paper clutter!”

The Paper Free Home campaign features seven easy steps to go paper free. Plus, Stewart says, by completing a pledge to complete at least five of the seven steps, residents can enter to win one of three new Apple iPads being given away by December 15th 2012. “iPads are hugely popular right now, plus  the ultimate tool for a paper free home, giving you the ability to read your news online, pay your bills online, and receive your paperless bills and e-statements. They fit perfectly with the push to go paper free!”

The Seven Steps to Go Paper Free:

1. Use No Flyers or Junk Mail Stickers or Signs
2. Remove your name from addressed ad mail lists
3. Switch to reading news and flyers online
4. Switch to Electronic Bills, On-line Banking and eStatements. Pay your bills on-line through your bank.
5. Switch to online Yellow Pages
6. Reduce paper in your home by opting to read documents on your computer screen and always print double sided (change the default setting on your printer).
7. Switch your favourite magazine subscription to the digital version. Many magazines have versions that can be read on your computer, lap top, tablet, smart phone or e-reader.

To find out more about the Paper Free Home campaign, or information about taking the Paper Free Pledge for your chance to win an Apple iPad, visit regionaldistrict.com/recycle