Day 224 of our Green Year: Reusing Envelopes

In our work, sometimes it is required that we send something to a client, contractor or as a submission to a magazine or publisher. Despite the digital age we live in, many magazines and publishers require hard copies of submissions sent to them, rather than e-mail. Until these publishers and magazines make the effort to allow e-mails to be sent to them, we are stuck sending off hard copies in the mail.

We already print everything off on recycled paper when we print something off and we think that we could go even further by making sure what we send hard copies of our work in is reused as well. You can get recycled envelopes, but why not reuse what you already have?

If you open your mail neatly, by just cutting the side, you can easily reuse it. Putting white out or a blank label over the envelope is a good way to put a new address on, and tape or glue is effective for sealing the envelope back up. That way, you do not have to worry about using a new envelope if you have plenty of previously used envelopes to work with.

It is a small solution that can help lower the amount of waste that is generated in our offices and lives every day.