News

Aug 27, 2023

Kojo Quartey: A paperless society? Not likely!

I am against waste and unproductive activities which use up our finite

I am against waste and unproductive activities which use up our finite resources. Yes, such as killing more trees and printing documents on pages and pages of paper. If you have ever been in my office, I have a lot, and I mean a lot, of paper, hard copies most of which are sent to me. Some I need, most I do not, but like many people, I have not been able to shed all the paper that I get. Believe me, I have tried, but to no avail. Oh, whatever happened to the concept of a paperless society?

As I have become more environmentally conscious, I recycle all recyclable paper and have for many years. I am more dedicated and committed to using less paper, especially printing less, primarily for economic reasons.

We use paper for eating, writing, printing and almost everything imaginable. It is indeed amazing what we use paper for. This article focuses primarily on paper used for printing. The cost of paper has gone up exponentially with inflation. According to our records at Monroe County Community College, a box of simple white printing paper which cost $29 in 2019 is now $46.50 – that is a 60% increase prepandemic to now – a hefty inflation. This cost increase alone should be an incentive for us to go paperless or at least try.

According to www.stopwaste.org, there are several consequences to paper waste, both financial and environmental: Inefficient use of printers, copiers and fax machines can waste between 1% and 3% of company revenue annually!

According to www.poe.com There are many reasons why people still use paper. Some of the most popular reasons include:

And old habits die hard!

In a day and age where we have the option of getting electronic receipts, statements, electronic banking and so much more electronically, let's take advantage of that. Technology has advanced so much that we have to move with the times. While we may not get to a completely paperless society, we can certainly get to a less-paper society.

Kojo Quartey, Ph.D., is president of Monroe County Community College and an economist. He can be reached at [email protected].