While all the abovementioned materials are found in abundance from university waste, paper makes up the largest part of the waste stream in an educational setting. Imagine how much paper universities across the country use and discard every day. Semester papers and reports, journals and magazines, newspapers, exam booklets, mail, campus fliers, old text books, and the millions of pages of classroom notes are all sources of recyclable paper. The good news is that it is all one of the easiest things to reduce in use and recycle.

At the University of Pretoria, the Department of Business Management participated in a recycling initiative led by one of its’ assistants, Shaa’ista Suliman. The “Rethink It” initiative was developed from “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” waste hierarchy. The success of any reduce, reuse and recycling campaign is dependent on creating awareness and educating people, thus changing their mindsets and encouraging them to “Rethink” their behaviour towards waste generation and waste disposal; and consciously take responsibility for their waste. The initiative is further aimed at successfully integrating people, facilities and infrastructure into a cohesive force that drives waste reduction at all levels in the society.

The department recycled 2670 kilograms (2.67 tons) of office paper during the course of the year, resulting in a reduction of 3.5244 tons of CO2 emissions (Envirogreen Recycling Carbon Calculator)

Interesting paper recycling facts from PRASA (2012):

· For every ton of paper recycled, approximately 3m³ of landfill space was saved;

· Each ton of recycled paper saved 17 trees. The 17 trees saved can absorb a total of 113kg of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 680kg of carbon dioxide.

· 4000 kilowatts of energy saved from paper recycling per annum is sufficient to provide electricity to 512 homes for a year.

· There is a reduction of coal based emissions of 1 ton of CO2

· There is a reduction of electricity based emissions of 1.8 tons of CO2

· The construction costs of a paper mill designed to use waste paper is 50 to 80% less than the cost of a mill using new pulp.

Although various departments have separate arrangements for recycling of paper, a campus-wide recycling scheme like the Green Campus Initiative (GCI) should be implemented. The GCI was started in 2007 by a handful of students and staff to address issues of sustainability at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The GCI is fresh, dynamic and action-based. It aims to bring about lasting change and to make UCT a more environmentally-friendly institution.

While it is difficult to predict what the future may hold in regard to paper use and recycling, without a doubt, academic institutions are sites of enormous consumption and they should be proactive in institutional improvements in waste management. A paperless society is unlikely to become a reality for a very long time, if ever, but students, academics and staff can discourage paper and other materials waste and encourage recycling.