As part of its Sustainable
Campus Initiative, NJHEPS intends to focus on paper use
reduction, recycled paper use, and campus recycling efforts.
This will include standard 8 ½" x 11" or 8 ½" x
14" "xerographic" paper used in campus reprographics,
photocopying, letterhead, and computer printers. NJHEPS will
conduct an assessment of the consumption patterns of
selected universities and colleges to determine
opportunities to modify use rates. It will also review the
types of paper purchased in order to increase the use of
recycled paper processed chlorine-free. Finally, it will
examine the current recycling practices and make
recommendations for improvements in areas such as waste
reduction procedures, container choice, signage, public
education efforts, and hauler/contractor relations to
achieve higher recovery rates. NJHEPS will also work toward
the formation of joint purchasing efforts in order to take
advantage of the more favorable pricing of large volume
purchases.
Here are some of the circumstances favoring this project
at this time:
- In
Executive
Order 91 (1993) the State of New Jersey mandated use
of recycled paper by state government--though compliance
with that order has been lax;
- In 2000, Rutgers University mandated use of 30%
recycled fiber paper processed chlorine-free, other
institutions are exploring this;
- Recycled paper quality has improved (see paper
supplier listings below);
- Paper recycling programs need boosting (to enhance
overall solid waste management practices);
- Overall paper use is rapidly escalating, taking more
monetary resources.
Even with the ubiquity of electronic media in higher
education, colleges still consume paper the way automobiles
consume gasoline-- too much is wasted and true costs are not
paid. As one of the most visible consumer products used in
the daily life of these institutions, "paper" is a powerful
tool to raise campus consciousness about the flaws in
conventional purchasing and materials management practices
and move institutions in the direction of life-cycle
accounting and assessment. "Paper" is vitally important in
itself and it also provides a very effective entre into one
of the most critical arenas of sustainability for
institutions: purchasing/procurement.
Selected web resources on recycling and recycled
paper:
Official
New Jersey State Contract on Paper Purchasing (State of
New Jersey, Department of the Treasury)
New
Jersey Recycled Products Guide
The New
Jersey Solid Waste Policy Group (NJSWPG)
The
Alliance for Environmental Innovation
Make
That Recycled: A Buyer's Guide to Recycled Coated Freesheet
Paper
Leading
By Example How Businesses Are Expanding the Market for
Environmentally Preferable Paper
A
New Norm in Catalogs
Recycled
Products Purchasing Cooperative (RPPC)
INFORM, Inc.
Waste
at Work: Prevention Strategies for the Bottom Line
Making
Less Garbage on Campus: A Hands-On Guide
Conservatree,
Paper for the Environment
Treecycle Recycled
Paper
New
Jersey DEP Bureau of Recycling and Planning
EPA's Comprehensive
Procurement Guidelines
U.S.
Government Printing Office, Paper Specification
Standards
Center for a New American Dream
Buying
Environmentally Preferable Paper
NOTICE TO READERS: please
contact us if you
know of any additional web resources that we should add to
the above list. THANK YOU!
NJHEPS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE
SUPPORT OF:
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
New Jersey Clean Energy Program
NJHEPS Corporate Sponsors
AT&T Foundation
and its 40+ Member Institutions
