Each year, thousands of tonnes of paper and board ends up in the waste stream in Northern Ireland. This is a waste of a valuable resource, uses declining landfill space and can contribute to climate change. Paper from non-sustainable sources can result in the permanent destruction of forests and the communities and wildlife they support.

You should use recycled paper wherever possible as it:

• is equal in quality to paper from virgin-forest sources
• is readily available
• demonstrates that you are committed to sustainable procurement
• diverts waste paper from landfill
• need not cost more

Recycled products can have a variety of labels on them to show their recyclability and/or their recycled content.

Ecolabelled paper

You should look for paper products with ecolabelling. This means that during production, the products:

• create fewer greenhouse gas emissions
• create fewer emissions to water of chlorine compounds and organic wastes during production
• have a limit on energy consumption
• use only recycled fibres or virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests

Other substrates

There are a number of other substrates including plastics, glass, ceramics, metal and textiles, each with their own unique properties. Apart from PVC, you should usually be able to recycle all these materials easily.

Wasted substrate at printing businesses can be attributed to a series of contributing factors that include:

• poor printing
• printing-head blockage
• poor set up
• operator error
• customers changing their requirements
• producing overs
• file copies
• a mismatch between the paper requested and the printing process being used

Digital printing can offer much lower waste levels than traditional litho printing, with the potential for no set-up waste and a minimum print run of one. However, digital print is often overprinted or produced in conjunction with other types of print, and may be trimmed and finished on conventional finishing equipment. Good substrate management can help avoid waste.

Understanding your substrate loss

The first step is to understand the amount of waste substrate and what it is costing you:

• Look what is in paper skips and bins - check regularly to ensure that your staff are not placing mixed waste in the paper skip as this can cause the load to be rejected, with loss of revenue from waste sales.
• Check what is in the mixed waste bins - if you find recyclable substrate then you will lose revenue from sales of waste, as well as data about substrate waste levels.
• Monitor the amount of substrate purchased and the average cost per tonne - keep track of the amount of substrate purchased as well as the value. Calculate an average cost per kilo, sheet or tonne and communicate this information so everyone is aware what substrate costs.
• Monitor the amount of waste substrate - calculate the amount of waste substrate using data from sales invoices. Calculate the raw material cost of the waste using average purchasing cost per tonne. Waste is caused by area loss (due to trim, finishing and die-cutting) which is part of the job design, and by sheets lost in the printing process. Take a sample of 'typical' jobs - perhaps ten to 20 jobs - and calculate an average area loss percentage for your mix of work.
• Estimate the process loss - deduct the trim waste from the total waste to estimate the sheets lost. You can reduce this by good stock management, process improvement and overs reduction.

You could also set key performance indicators (KPIs). These are measurements or metrics that help you to define and measure progress towards objectives and targets. Suggested KPIs include:

• KPI of clicks wasted = clicks paid for minus clicks invoiced. If your machine is leased then there will typically be a click charge for each sheet printed. Calculate how much wasted clicks are costing you.
• KPI of percentage of waste = waste substrate divided by substrate purchased x 100. This is a KPI for the production process and you can set a target to reduce this progressively over time.
• KPI of cost of substrate waste = amount of substrate waste times average cost per tonne minus revenue from sales of waste, plus cost of waste clicks.

Substrate waste at printing businesses can be unnecessarily built into a job at the planning and estimating stage through incorrect choice of paper size, layout and overs allowance. You can reduce this waste in a number of ways:

• Review your policy on overs - look at how much waste is planned into the job and whether office copies are really necessary. Decide what your policy is on good overs - are they scrapped, stocked or given away? Try to find the best balance between the cost of building-in overs and the risk of a reprint if the job is short.
• Choose the right paper size - this minimises trim and area loss. Different sizes are optimum for digital only, litho/digital and bleed/no bleed.
• Fix design issues - high quantities of waste can occur when a customer has a catalogue or flyer that has a bleed on one or more edges, as this will need a larger sheet of paper for printing and then trimming. Some manufacturers offer sheet sizes to reduce trim, while you could encourage clients to avoid designs that require a bleed.
• Shape nesting - when planning die cutting or laser cutting, take care to nest shapes to minimise the area loss. Automatic nesting software is available as an option on many design packages and is worth investigating.

Purchasing and stocking

Good stock management and control are key to reducing substrate losses. Losses due to out-of-date and damaged substrate can be significant, so take sensible steps to control them:

• Keep a stock list and do a regular stock-take - this is invaluable for avoiding over-ordering and highlighting slow-moving stock.
• Avoid over-ordering - many paper merchants will deliver the next day, so there is no need to keep large stocks. Make sure the quantity you order takes current stocks into account. Ordering special sizes or paper types for a one-off job can be a problem when there is a minimum order quantity. Think about what to do with any leftovers. Can you use them on future jobs?
• Goods-in inspection procedure - you should have a clear procedure for inspecting incoming goods and a policy on what to do if staff notice damage or shortages. This can be part of your quality system.
• Stocking area - this needs to be dry and clean, but in the UK climate it does not generally need to be heated or air-conditioned. You can keep paper at a wide range of temperatures and humidity, providing you avoid extremes and sudden changes.
• Rotate stock - mark incoming stock with the date of delivery. Ensure you rotate stock so that the oldest stock gets used first.
• Damage - record write-offs due to damage and ensure a reporting and corrective action procedure is in place as part of your quality system.
• Slow-moving stock - review what to do with slow-moving stock on the stock list. You could use it on jobs, offer it to selected customers at a discount or make it into notepads.

Your printing business can reduce wastage throughout the production process, right through to delivery to the customer.

You should make sure that train operators take care when handling and unwrapping paper to avoid damage and creasing - this can cause paper jams and rejects. Make sure they are clear what to do with any leftover paper at the end of a job.

When overprinting digital on litho print, you may need to adjust the position to fit. Reduce waste by using litho make-ready sheets - with the correct position - to set up the job.

Reuse the pallets and boxes that packaged the raw materials to package the finished product.

Digital print is often used for personalised and numbered work. Paper jams or waste in subsequent operations - such as finishing or enveloping - can mean time-consuming make-ups and expensive, confidential destruction of the waste. Delays caused by make-ups can also have an impact on customer service.

Calculate the cost of make-ups including time, materials and waste costs. The results could encourage you to investigate the causes of the waste more thoroughly. Minimising make-ups could be a cost-saving opportunity. Where cost is an issue, set up a key performance indicator of make-ups as a percentage of output and use this to set targets for an improvement project.

Investigate how variable your finishing operations are. If most jobs go through satisfactorily but there is an occasional problem, then high overs allowances are not the right solution - they will increase waste without preventing the problem. Investigate and fix the cause of the difficulty and set a lower overs allowance for the routine jobs.

If finishing waste is routinely high, consider setting up a process improvement project to understand and tackle the root causes.

The most cost-effective way of dealing with waste - and the best for the environment - is usually to reduce or eliminate it, then to reuse, recover or recycle it. You should only send waste to landfill as a last resort. Most waste from printing businesses can be reused or recycled.

You can recycle the majority of papers. Some waste recycling businesses may charge a fee to cover the collection and treatment costs, though this will always be less than the cost of disposing to landfill.

Many manufacturers now offer a return service to allow you to return printer cartridges for recycling. However, some toners contain dangerous substances and must be treated as hazardous waste at the end of their life. This may not prevent it being collected for recycling, but there are legal requirements to ensure that the waste is transferred correctly and safely.

Toner bottles are sometimes a problem for recycling because the toner dust contaminates the plastic and causes a handling problem. The plastic bottle is also very bulky and lightweight and thus has a low recycling value to plastic reprocessors. A collection scheme solely for toner bottles could have a negative environmental effect because of the transport requirements caused by the bulkiness of the product.

Some manufacturers have established recycling systems for toner bottles as part of an overall recovery programme. You should discuss the best way to deal with toner bottles with your supplier.

Liquids are banned from landfill and must be stored in secure containers. Hazardous waste can only be handled by specialist businesses. There are a number of waste management businesses that specialise in the disposal of printing waste.

Compact discs and DVDs can be readily recycled. They are collected and placed into batches before being treated and sold to injection moulding businesses for reuse.

You must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which require you to handle electrical and electronic equipment separately from other waste.

If your printing business has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, you must comply with certain packaging waste obligations.

Incoming packaging

Most manufacturers will take back the packaging on equipment for reuse and recycling. However, you may receive significant quantities of packaging materials from other suppliers.

There are various options for dealing with packaging waste:

• contact your supplier to discuss your concerns about products which you think are excessively packaged
• if you are a large-volume printer, talk to your supplier about returnable packaging
• reuse the packaging for your outgoing printed products - tell your client your environmental objectives and the fact that this is reducing their costs

If you can't reuse the packaging waste your business produces on site, you may be able to find another organisation that can use it - see how to use your waste to boost profits.

You could also use a waste-exchange scheme to advertise your waste and make it available for use by others, either for sale or free collection. The exchange schemes cater for a wide range of materials and include difficult wastes that may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers. You could use an internet search engine to look for a waste exchange near your business.

You can recycle cardboard boxes and they can usually be collected by a paper recycler. They may specify that the cardboard be separated from the paper.

Waste contractors may not be interested in collecting small volumes of waste, but there are a large number of sites that will accept deliveries.

Outgoing packaging

Remember that your clients will be facing the same problems as you do when dealing with waste, so consider:

• offering returnable packaging or take-back of used packaging - only if it is your own - for key clients with frequent orders
• ensuring that packaging levels are minimised and not excessive
• avoiding using polystyrene chips - use cardboard inserts or balled paper instead, as this is readily recycled
• using a paper-based wrapping tape rather than a plastic tape
• using water-soluble adhesives for labels and tapes

Digital printing offers a number of advantages over traditional printing for direct marketing because the minimum print run is one and the mailings can be personalised easily. However, direct mail can have environmental consequences on procurement and marketing choices.

Direct marketing standard

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched the PAS 2020 standard to provide businesses with the tools they need to create an environmentally friendly direct marketing campaign. PAS 2020 has been launched in response to pressure for the direct-marketing industry to take a more environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its activities.

It focuses on establishing a set of environmental objectives, performance levels and indicators for different environmental aspects of a direct-marketing campaign. The indicators provide an indirect measure of a direct-marketing campaign's environmental impact.

If your business is involved with direct marketing, you can improve your environmental performance, and demonstrate this to your stakeholders by meeting the requirements of PAS 2020.

Envelopes and laminates

Envelope windows and laminates cannot usually be recycled, and some paper mills will reject them. You should encourage clients to avoid plastic laminates and windows and inform them of the alternatives. A recyclable laminate 'Cellogreen' and cellulose labels are now available.

Each year, thousands of tonnes of paper and board ends up in the waste stream in Northern Ireland. This is a waste of a valuable resource, uses declining landfill space and can contribute to climate change. Paper from non-sustainable sources can result in the permanent destruction of forests and the communities and wildlife they support.

You should use recycled paper wherever possible as it:

• is equal in quality to paper from virgin-forest sources
• is readily available
• demonstrates that you are committed to sustainable procurement
• diverts waste paper from landfill
• need not cost more

Recycled products can have a variety of labels on them to show their recyclability and/or their recycled content.

Ecolabelled paper

You should look for paper products with ecolabelling. This means that during production, the products:

• create fewer greenhouse gas emissions
• create fewer emissions to water of chlorine compounds and organic wastes during production
• have a limit on energy consumption
• use only recycled fibres or virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests

Other substrates

There are a number of other substrates including plastics, glass, ceramics, metal and textiles, each with their own unique properties. Apart from PVC, you should usually be able to recycle all these materials easily.

Wasted substrate at printing businesses can be attributed to a series of contributing factors that include:

• poor printing
• printing-head blockage
• poor set up
• operator error
• customers changing their requirements
• producing overs
• file copies
• a mismatch between the paper requested and the printing process being used

Digital printing can offer much lower waste levels than traditional litho printing, with the potential for no set-up waste and a minimum print run of one. However, digital print is often overprinted or produced in conjunction with other types of print, and may be trimmed and finished on conventional finishing equipment. Good substrate management can help avoid waste.

Understanding your substrate loss

The first step is to understand the amount of waste substrate and what it is costing you:

• Look what is in paper skips and bins - check regularly to ensure that your staff are not placing mixed waste in the paper skip as this can cause the load to be rejected, with loss of revenue from waste sales.
• Check what is in the mixed waste bins - if you find recyclable substrate then you will lose revenue from sales of waste, as well as data about substrate waste levels.
• Monitor the amount of substrate purchased and the average cost per tonne - keep track of the amount of substrate purchased as well as the value. Calculate an average cost per kilo, sheet or tonne and communicate this information so everyone is aware what substrate costs.
• Monitor the amount of waste substrate - calculate the amount of waste substrate using data from sales invoices. Calculate the raw material cost of the waste using average purchasing cost per tonne. Waste is caused by area loss (due to trim, finishing and die-cutting) which is part of the job design, and by sheets lost in the printing process. Take a sample of 'typical' jobs - perhaps ten to 20 jobs - and calculate an average area loss percentage for your mix of work.
• Estimate the process loss - deduct the trim waste from the total waste to estimate the sheets lost. You can reduce this by good stock management, process improvement and overs reduction.

You could also set key performance indicators (KPIs). These are measurements or metrics that help you to define and measure progress towards objectives and targets. Suggested KPIs include:

• KPI of clicks wasted = clicks paid for minus clicks invoiced. If your machine is leased then there will typically be a click charge for each sheet printed. Calculate how much wasted clicks are costing you.
• KPI of percentage of waste = waste substrate divided by substrate purchased x 100. This is a KPI for the production process and you can set a target to reduce this progressively over time.
• KPI of cost of substrate waste = amount of substrate waste times average cost per tonne minus revenue from sales of waste, plus cost of waste clicks.

Substrate waste at printing businesses can be unnecessarily built into a job at the planning and estimating stage through incorrect choice of paper size, layout and overs allowance. You can reduce this waste in a number of ways:

• Review your policy on overs - look at how much waste is planned into the job and whether office copies are really necessary. Decide what your policy is on good overs - are they scrapped, stocked or given away? Try to find the best balance between the cost of building-in overs and the risk of a reprint if the job is short.
• Choose the right paper size - this minimises trim and area loss. Different sizes are optimum for digital only, litho/digital and bleed/no bleed.
• Fix design issues - high quantities of waste can occur when a customer has a catalogue or flyer that has a bleed on one or more edges, as this will need a larger sheet of paper for printing and then trimming. Some manufacturers offer sheet sizes to reduce trim, while you could encourage clients to avoid designs that require a bleed.
• Shape nesting - when planning die cutting or laser cutting, take care to nest shapes to minimise the area loss. Automatic nesting software is available as an option on many design packages and is worth investigating.

Purchasing and stocking

Good stock management and control are key to reducing substrate losses. Losses due to out-of-date and damaged substrate can be significant, so take sensible steps to control them:

• Keep a stock list and do a regular stock-take - this is invaluable for avoiding over-ordering and highlighting slow-moving stock.
• Avoid over-ordering - many paper merchants will deliver the next day, so there is no need to keep large stocks. Make sure the quantity you order takes current stocks into account. Ordering special sizes or paper types for a one-off job can be a problem when there is a minimum order quantity. Think about what to do with any leftovers. Can you use them on future jobs?
• Goods-in inspection procedure - you should have a clear procedure for inspecting incoming goods and a policy on what to do if staff notice damage or shortages. This can be part of your quality system.
• Stocking area - this needs to be dry and clean, but in the UK climate it does not generally need to be heated or air-conditioned. You can keep paper at a wide range of temperatures and humidity, providing you avoid extremes and sudden changes.
• Rotate stock - mark incoming stock with the date of delivery. Ensure you rotate stock so that the oldest stock gets used first.
• Damage - record write-offs due to damage and ensure a reporting and corrective action procedure is in place as part of your quality system.
• Slow-moving stock - review what to do with slow-moving stock on the stock list. You could use it on jobs, offer it to selected customers at a discount or make it into notepads.

Your printing business can reduce wastage throughout the production process, right through to delivery to the customer.

You should make sure that train operators take care when handling and unwrapping paper to avoid damage and creasing - this can cause paper jams and rejects. Make sure they are clear what to do with any leftover paper at the end of a job.

When overprinting digital on litho print, you may need to adjust the position to fit. Reduce waste by using litho make-ready sheets - with the correct position - to set up the job.

Reuse the pallets and boxes that packaged the raw materials to package the finished product.

Digital print is often used for personalised and numbered work. Paper jams or waste in subsequent operations - such as finishing or enveloping - can mean time-consuming make-ups and expensive, confidential destruction of the waste. Delays caused by make-ups can also have an impact on customer service.

Calculate the cost of make-ups including time, materials and waste costs. The results could encourage you to investigate the causes of the waste more thoroughly. Minimising make-ups could be a cost-saving opportunity. Where cost is an issue, set up a key performance indicator of make-ups as a percentage of output and use this to set targets for an improvement project.

Investigate how variable your finishing operations are. If most jobs go through satisfactorily but there is an occasional problem, then high overs allowances are not the right solution - they will increase waste without preventing the problem. Investigate and fix the cause of the difficulty and set a lower overs allowance for the routine jobs.

If finishing waste is routinely high, consider setting up a process improvement project to understand and tackle the root causes.

The most cost-effective way of dealing with waste - and the best for the environment - is usually to reduce or eliminate it, then to reuse, recover or recycle it. You should only send waste to landfill as a last resort. Most waste from printing businesses can be reused or recycled.

You can recycle the majority of papers. Some waste recycling businesses may charge a fee to cover the collection and treatment costs, though this will always be less than the cost of disposing to landfill.

Many manufacturers now offer a return service to allow you to return printer cartridges for recycling. However, some toners contain dangerous substances and must be treated as hazardous waste at the end of their life. This may not prevent it being collected for recycling, but there are legal requirements to ensure that the waste is transferred correctly and safely.

Toner bottles are sometimes a problem for recycling because the toner dust contaminates the plastic and causes a handling problem. The plastic bottle is also very bulky and lightweight and thus has a low recycling value to plastic reprocessors. A collection scheme solely for toner bottles could have a negative environmental effect because of the transport requirements caused by the bulkiness of the product.

Some manufacturers have established recycling systems for toner bottles as part of an overall recovery programme. You should discuss the best way to deal with toner bottles with your supplier.

Liquids are banned from landfill and must be stored in secure containers. Hazardous waste can only be handled by specialist businesses. There are a number of waste management businesses that specialise in the disposal of printing waste.

Compact discs and DVDs can be readily recycled. They are collected and placed into batches before being treated and sold to injection moulding businesses for reuse.

You must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which require you to handle electrical and electronic equipment separately from other waste.

If your printing business has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, you must comply with certain packaging waste obligations.

Incoming packaging

Most manufacturers will take back the packaging on equipment for reuse and recycling. However, you may receive significant quantities of packaging materials from other suppliers.

There are various options for dealing with packaging waste:

• contact your supplier to discuss your concerns about products which you think are excessively packaged
• if you are a large-volume printer, talk to your supplier about returnable packaging
• reuse the packaging for your outgoing printed products - tell your client your environmental objectives and the fact that this is reducing their costs

If you can't reuse the packaging waste your business produces on site, you may be able to find another organisation that can use it - see how to use your waste to boost profits.

You could also use a waste-exchange scheme to advertise your waste and make it available for use by others, either for sale or free collection. The exchange schemes cater for a wide range of materials and include difficult wastes that may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers. You could use an internet search engine to look for a waste exchange near your business.

You can recycle cardboard boxes and they can usually be collected by a paper recycler. They may specify that the cardboard be separated from the paper.

Waste contractors may not be interested in collecting small volumes of waste, but there are a large number of sites that will accept deliveries.

Outgoing packaging

Remember that your clients will be facing the same problems as you do when dealing with waste, so consider:

• offering returnable packaging or take-back of used packaging - only if it is your own - for key clients with frequent orders
• ensuring that packaging levels are minimised and not excessive
• avoiding using polystyrene chips - use cardboard inserts or balled paper instead, as this is readily recycled
• using a paper-based wrapping tape rather than a plastic tape
• using water-soluble adhesives for labels and tapes

Digital printing offers a number of advantages over traditional printing for direct marketing because the minimum print run is one and the mailings can be personalised easily. However, direct mail can have environmental consequences on procurement and marketing choices.

Direct marketing standard

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched the PAS 2020 standard to provide businesses with the tools they need to create an environmentally friendly direct marketing campaign. PAS 2020 has been launched in response to pressure for the direct-marketing industry to take a more environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its activities.

It focuses on establishing a set of environmental objectives, performance levels and indicators for different environmental aspects of a direct-marketing campaign. The indicators provide an indirect measure of a direct-marketing campaign's environmental impact.

If your business is involved with direct marketing, you can improve your environmental performance, and demonstrate this to your stakeholders by meeting the requirements of PAS 2020.

Envelopes and laminates

Envelope windows and laminates cannot usually be recycled, and some paper mills will reject them. You should encourage clients to avoid plastic laminates and windows and inform them of the alternatives. A recyclable laminate 'Cellogreen' and cellulose labels are now available.

Each year, thousands of tonnes of paper and board ends up in the waste stream in Northern Ireland. This is a waste of a valuable resource, uses declining landfill space and can contribute to climate change. Paper from non-sustainable sources can result in the permanent destruction of forests and the communities and wildlife they support.

You should use recycled paper wherever possible as it:

• is equal in quality to paper from virgin-forest sources
• is readily available
• demonstrates that you are committed to sustainable procurement
• diverts waste paper from landfill
• need not cost more

Recycled products can have a variety of labels on them to show their recyclability and/or their recycled content.

Ecolabelled paper

You should look for paper products with ecolabelling. This means that during production, the products:

• create fewer greenhouse gas emissions
• create fewer emissions to water of chlorine compounds and organic wastes during production
• have a limit on energy consumption
• use only recycled fibres or virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests

Other substrates

There are a number of other substrates including plastics, glass, ceramics, metal and textiles, each with their own unique properties. Apart from PVC, you should usually be able to recycle all these materials easily.

Wasted substrate at printing businesses can be attributed to a series of contributing factors that include:

• poor printing
• printing-head blockage
• poor set up
• operator error
• customers changing their requirements
• producing overs
• file copies
• a mismatch between the paper requested and the printing process being used

Digital printing can offer much lower waste levels than traditional litho printing, with the potential for no set-up waste and a minimum print run of one. However, digital print is often overprinted or produced in conjunction with other types of print, and may be trimmed and finished on conventional finishing equipment. Good substrate management can help avoid waste.

Understanding your substrate loss

The first step is to understand the amount of waste substrate and what it is costing you:

• Look what is in paper skips and bins - check regularly to ensure that your staff are not placing mixed waste in the paper skip as this can cause the load to be rejected, with loss of revenue from waste sales.
• Check what is in the mixed waste bins - if you find recyclable substrate then you will lose revenue from sales of waste, as well as data about substrate waste levels.
• Monitor the amount of substrate purchased and the average cost per tonne - keep track of the amount of substrate purchased as well as the value. Calculate an average cost per kilo, sheet or tonne and communicate this information so everyone is aware what substrate costs.
• Monitor the amount of waste substrate - calculate the amount of waste substrate using data from sales invoices. Calculate the raw material cost of the waste using average purchasing cost per tonne. Waste is caused by area loss (due to trim, finishing and die-cutting) which is part of the job design, and by sheets lost in the printing process. Take a sample of 'typical' jobs - perhaps ten to 20 jobs - and calculate an average area loss percentage for your mix of work.
• Estimate the process loss - deduct the trim waste from the total waste to estimate the sheets lost. You can reduce this by good stock management, process improvement and overs reduction.

You could also set key performance indicators (KPIs). These are measurements or metrics that help you to define and measure progress towards objectives and targets. Suggested KPIs include:

• KPI of clicks wasted = clicks paid for minus clicks invoiced. If your machine is leased then there will typically be a click charge for each sheet printed. Calculate how much wasted clicks are costing you.
• KPI of percentage of waste = waste substrate divided by substrate purchased x 100. This is a KPI for the production process and you can set a target to reduce this progressively over time.
• KPI of cost of substrate waste = amount of substrate waste times average cost per tonne minus revenue from sales of waste, plus cost of waste clicks.

Substrate waste at printing businesses can be unnecessarily built into a job at the planning and estimating stage through incorrect choice of paper size, layout and overs allowance. You can reduce this waste in a number of ways:

• Review your policy on overs - look at how much waste is planned into the job and whether office copies are really necessary. Decide what your policy is on good overs - are they scrapped, stocked or given away? Try to find the best balance between the cost of building-in overs and the risk of a reprint if the job is short.
• Choose the right paper size - this minimises trim and area loss. Different sizes are optimum for digital only, litho/digital and bleed/no bleed.
• Fix design issues - high quantities of waste can occur when a customer has a catalogue or flyer that has a bleed on one or more edges, as this will need a larger sheet of paper for printing and then trimming. Some manufacturers offer sheet sizes to reduce trim, while you could encourage clients to avoid designs that require a bleed.
• Shape nesting - when planning die cutting or laser cutting, take care to nest shapes to minimise the area loss. Automatic nesting software is available as an option on many design packages and is worth investigating.

Purchasing and stocking

Good stock management and control are key to reducing substrate losses. Losses due to out-of-date and damaged substrate can be significant, so take sensible steps to control them:

• Keep a stock list and do a regular stock-take - this is invaluable for avoiding over-ordering and highlighting slow-moving stock.
• Avoid over-ordering - many paper merchants will deliver the next day, so there is no need to keep large stocks. Make sure the quantity you order takes current stocks into account. Ordering special sizes or paper types for a one-off job can be a problem when there is a minimum order quantity. Think about what to do with any leftovers. Can you use them on future jobs?
• Goods-in inspection procedure - you should have a clear procedure for inspecting incoming goods and a policy on what to do if staff notice damage or shortages. This can be part of your quality system.
• Stocking area - this needs to be dry and clean, but in the UK climate it does not generally need to be heated or air-conditioned. You can keep paper at a wide range of temperatures and humidity, providing you avoid extremes and sudden changes.
• Rotate stock - mark incoming stock with the date of delivery. Ensure you rotate stock so that the oldest stock gets used first.
• Damage - record write-offs due to damage and ensure a reporting and corrective action procedure is in place as part of your quality system.
• Slow-moving stock - review what to do with slow-moving stock on the stock list. You could use it on jobs, offer it to selected customers at a discount or make it into notepads.

Your printing business can reduce wastage throughout the production process, right through to delivery to the customer.

You should make sure that train operators take care when handling and unwrapping paper to avoid damage and creasing - this can cause paper jams and rejects. Make sure they are clear what to do with any leftover paper at the end of a job.

When overprinting digital on litho print, you may need to adjust the position to fit. Reduce waste by using litho make-ready sheets - with the correct position - to set up the job.

Reuse the pallets and boxes that packaged the raw materials to package the finished product.

Digital print is often used for personalised and numbered work. Paper jams or waste in subsequent operations - such as finishing or enveloping - can mean time-consuming make-ups and expensive, confidential destruction of the waste. Delays caused by make-ups can also have an impact on customer service.

Calculate the cost of make-ups including time, materials and waste costs. The results could encourage you to investigate the causes of the waste more thoroughly. Minimising make-ups could be a cost-saving opportunity. Where cost is an issue, set up a key performance indicator of make-ups as a percentage of output and use this to set targets for an improvement project.

Investigate how variable your finishing operations are. If most jobs go through satisfactorily but there is an occasional problem, then high overs allowances are not the right solution - they will increase waste without preventing the problem. Investigate and fix the cause of the difficulty and set a lower overs allowance for the routine jobs.

If finishing waste is routinely high, consider setting up a process improvement project to understand and tackle the root causes.

The most cost-effective way of dealing with waste - and the best for the environment - is usually to reduce or eliminate it, then to reuse, recover or recycle it. You should only send waste to landfill as a last resort. Most waste from printing businesses can be reused or recycled.

You can recycle the majority of papers. Some waste recycling businesses may charge a fee to cover the collection and treatment costs, though this will always be less than the cost of disposing to landfill.

Many manufacturers now offer a return service to allow you to return printer cartridges for recycling. However, some toners contain dangerous substances and must be treated as hazardous waste at the end of their life. This may not prevent it being collected for recycling, but there are legal requirements to ensure that the waste is transferred correctly and safely.

Toner bottles are sometimes a problem for recycling because the toner dust contaminates the plastic and causes a handling problem. The plastic bottle is also very bulky and lightweight and thus has a low recycling value to plastic reprocessors. A collection scheme solely for toner bottles could have a negative environmental effect because of the transport requirements caused by the bulkiness of the product.

Some manufacturers have established recycling systems for toner bottles as part of an overall recovery programme. You should discuss the best way to deal with toner bottles with your supplier.

Liquids are banned from landfill and must be stored in secure containers. Hazardous waste can only be handled by specialist businesses. There are a number of waste management businesses that specialise in the disposal of printing waste.

Compact discs and DVDs can be readily recycled. They are collected and placed into batches before being treated and sold to injection moulding businesses for reuse.

You must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which require you to handle electrical and electronic equipment separately from other waste.

If your printing business has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, you must comply with certain packaging waste obligations.

Incoming packaging

Most manufacturers will take back the packaging on equipment for reuse and recycling. However, you may receive significant quantities of packaging materials from other suppliers.

There are various options for dealing with packaging waste:

• contact your supplier to discuss your concerns about products which you think are excessively packaged
• if you are a large-volume printer, talk to your supplier about returnable packaging
• reuse the packaging for your outgoing printed products - tell your client your environmental objectives and the fact that this is reducing their costs

If you can't reuse the packaging waste your business produces on site, you may be able to find another organisation that can use it - see how to use your waste to boost profits.

You could also use a waste-exchange scheme to advertise your waste and make it available for use by others, either for sale or free collection. The exchange schemes cater for a wide range of materials and include difficult wastes that may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers. You could use an internet search engine to look for a waste exchange near your business.

You can recycle cardboard boxes and they can usually be collected by a paper recycler. They may specify that the cardboard be separated from the paper.

Waste contractors may not be interested in collecting small volumes of waste, but there are a large number of sites that will accept deliveries.

Outgoing packaging

Remember that your clients will be facing the same problems as you do when dealing with waste, so consider:

• offering returnable packaging or take-back of used packaging - only if it is your own - for key clients with frequent orders
• ensuring that packaging levels are minimised and not excessive
• avoiding using polystyrene chips - use cardboard inserts or balled paper instead, as this is readily recycled
• using a paper-based wrapping tape rather than a plastic tape
• using water-soluble adhesives for labels and tapes

Digital printing offers a number of advantages over traditional printing for direct marketing because the minimum print run is one and the mailings can be personalised easily. However, direct mail can have environmental consequences on procurement and marketing choices.

Direct marketing standard

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched the PAS 2020 standard to provide businesses with the tools they need to create an environmentally friendly direct marketing campaign. PAS 2020 has been launched in response to pressure for the direct-marketing industry to take a more environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its activities.

It focuses on establishing a set of environmental objectives, performance levels and indicators for different environmental aspects of a direct-marketing campaign. The indicators provide an indirect measure of a direct-marketing campaign's environmental impact.

If your business is involved with direct marketing, you can improve your environmental performance, and demonstrate this to your stakeholders by meeting the requirements of PAS 2020.

Envelopes and laminates

Envelope windows and laminates cannot usually be recycled, and some paper mills will reject them. You should encourage clients to avoid plastic laminates and windows and inform them of the alternatives. A recyclable laminate 'Cellogreen' and cellulose labels are now available.