{"id":18782,"date":"2015-07-23T14:35:17","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T18:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=18782"},"modified":"2015-07-23T14:35:17","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T18:35:17","slug":"5-steps-to-going-paperless-when-you-arent-used-to-digital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/5-steps-to-going-paperless-when-you-arent-used-to-digital\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps To Going Paperless When You Aren’t Used To Digital"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"going<\/a><\/p>\n

Reducing paper use can be a struggle. Younger generations that have grown up in the iPad age may find it natural to go digital<\/a>, but what to do if you\u2019ve spent the majority of your life with paper? Paper bills, newspapers, printed records, and receipts are so useful, but they require the killing of trees. Here are some tips for going digital even when your instincts yearn for paper.<\/p>\n

1. Opt Out of Junk Mail<\/strong>
\nThe average person receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year. 5.6 million tons of this unwanted mail ended up in U.S. landfills last year. But luckily, there are ways to get that unwanted paper out of your life.<\/p>\n

Put your name on the Direct Marketing Association\u2019s \u201cDo Not Mail\u201d list<\/a>. This should prevent future mailings. Still, many companies have your information, so you need to contact them directly. Ask them to remove you immediately. You may have to do it several times, but they will relent and you will reduce your paper waste<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Pay Bills Online<\/strong>
\nI know you love your checkbook. But with online banking and bill paying, it\u2019s easy to go paperless. Log into your bank\u2019s online portal and opt into online banking. You can receive emailed electronic statements instead of mailed ones. Next, use your bank\u2019s secure portal to pay your bills. You can set them up to auto pay, so you not only save trees, you also save money by not having to mail a check. It\u2019s easy, fast, and requires no paper.<\/p>\n

3. Elect to Use an E-reader<\/strong>
\nHow many unread books are sitting on your bookcase right now? Sure, you want to keep your signed T.S. Eliot Four Quartets. But your E. L. James box set is collecting dust. Clean it up and clean it out. Keep the classics and donate unwanted used books to a library or secondhand bookstore.<\/p>\n

Buy a Kindle or iPad and switch to digital. Then, choose the electronic version of magazine and newspapers when you can. The electronic versions will never get ripped or lost.<\/p>\n

4. Email Me Those Receipts<\/strong>
\nMany businesses can send electronic receipts to your email instead of printing paper. If they insist on giving you a paper receipt, try to use an app like OneReceipt<\/a> to store the receipt. Take a picture then shred and recycle the paper. The app will categorize your receipt so you can find it if you need it later.<\/p>\n

Also, many banks allow you to upload the receipts and confirm purchases. It\u2019s a bit of sustainable and financial magic.<\/p>\n

5. Fling Out the Filing Cabinets<\/strong>
\nThe more storage you have, the more paper you will keep. Start by reducing your paper storage areas by 50%. Then, with nowhere to hide, you\u2019ll make more disciplined paper storage choices. It you keep reducing your storage area by 50 percent every few months, you will be digital in no time.<\/p>\n

But what to do with all the papers you have? First, go through them and decide if you still need to keep them. Once you\u2019ve reduced your stacks, start scanning them to your computer. I recommend a storage program like Evernote and the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500. Between the two, my life is better off and my paper pile much smaller.<\/p>\n

Second Life: The Paper Version<\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve reduced the amount of paper you will be receiving. Now, it\u2019s time to try reusing the paper you already have in your home. If you get a littler crafty, you can give that junk mail and newspaper a second life.<\/p>\n

Reuse your old junk mail for things like jotting down grocery lists and packaging gifts. There are many ways to get crafty with junk mail:<\/p>\n