Writers Recycle Project

As a writer, I often feel as though I am drowning in paper. My scripts, other’s scripts, contracts, magazines, newspaper articles torn out to be read later, galleys… the list goes on.

During the holidays in 2007, I stepped into my office and for whatever reason, it was as though I was seeing it for the first time. I was stunned at the amount of paper I’d managed to cram, stuff, file and sequester into my little ten by ten space. I live in a house built in 1928 and was also a little horrified at the thought of where one tiny spark from an aging electrical system and all that paper might lead.

So, I made a commitment to reducing my own personal paper output and conserving as much as I can. The first - and most obvious - place I looked to make a big difference was in my writing process.

The first thing I did was scan any important scripts and papers into digital files. I was surprised at how many of them that had been sitting around for months (and even years in some cases!) just weren’t as important as I’d initially believed. Those went into the recycle bin. The rest were scanned into a digital file and very quickly, my hard drive began to complain that it was full. For a mere $125 I got a 500 gigabytes of memory in an external drive and now my computer loves me more than ever. For those of you who aren’t on a budget, $200 now gets you a of terabyte of storage. Fill that with scripts - I dare you.

Next, I went online and cancelled every single paper bill, subscription, and correspondence I could. Now, everything comes to my email inbox and is quickly dealt with and deleted - no paper involved.

Then I started in on the physical mail that arrives at our house. I know we’re not alone in receiving about a half pound of unsolicited (and unwanted!) circulars every single day in the mail. When I asked our postal carrier if she would stop delivering them, she referred me to the post office. The Post Master said that they were contractually obligated to deliver these items. This means they’re paid money to do it. So, I went back to the our mail carrier and then, for sixteen days in a row politely asked them to not deliver this unwanted waste to our home. She stopped. And for putting up with my harassment, I gave here a $50 Starbucks gift card and she’ll get a big tip this year during the holidays.

Finally, I’ve started asking every single person to whom I send a script or who sends me one to do so in electronic format. I’m not a jerk about it, just a polite request.

Amazingly, paper coming in has dropped an incredible 85% and the paper I send out almost 90%. The money I’ve saved in mailing fees alone has been staggering.

And finally, as a reminder to myself and others I email (it’s a LOT of folks), I’ve included this in my signature block (to steal, just right click and copy!):

My hope with the Writer’s Recycle Project is to simply inspire you to think about how you might reduce waste and recycle more in your own world and then find a way to share those ideas with other writers and “regular people.”