Tax Time is the Right Time to Think Green® and Recycle Your Old Paperwork and Receipts

April 14, 2011 - PRLog -- ST. LOUIS, MO – It’s the one thing you can count on every Spring, tax season.  Like clockwork, tax time seems to sneak up on us every April.  Lost in the mad rush to complete your federal and state taxes is all the paperwork left behind.  More often than not, the paperwork is filed away in a desk drawer or shredded and thrown away.  This year, once you or your tax professional have completed and filed your returns, Waste Management encourages everyone to recycle the paperwork you don’t need to keep.  You can Think Green and clean up your files at the same time.

Here’s how to get started. First, sort the essential tax paperwork you need to keep on hand.  Anything that you don’t need to keep you can shred to keep all of your confidential information private.  Empty the contents of your home or office shredder into a plain paper bag and place the sealed bag into your recycle container.  You can’t just put the shredded material in loose because it can get caught in the wind.  Placing it in a paper bag ensures it will be properly recycled.  

Want to make an even bigger impact?  Whether at home or work, scan all of your materials into a digital file.  Save the file and a backup copy for safety.  Then you can shred and recycle all excess paperwork including folders, old checks, deposit slips and other items that you won’t need hard copies of any longer.  This will not only save space in drawers and cabinets, it could even end up saving you time and money storing the paper.  For information on the exact tax materials you should keep on hand and how long to keep them, consult your tax professional or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“Recycling is a great way to get rid of unwanted and unnecessary paperwork while downsizing your hard copy files,” said Carrie Spencer, spokesperson for Waste Management.  “Every year, Waste Management recycles nearly 7 million tons of fiber, making us one of the leaders in paper recycling.  Recycling just one extra ton of paper saves enough energy to power the average American home for six months and saves three cubic yards of landfill space or more.”

Again this tax season, the IRS is also encouraging taxpayers to file electronically.  That eliminates printing all your final documents to send to the IRS.  You save what could be dozens of sheets of paper depending on your return, plus you save the postage.  Typically, you can also get your refund faster when you file electronically.

A few simple steps now will help you recycle more and keep additional items out of landfills. Many Waste Management communities across the area offer single-stream recycling programs that allow you to put your shredded materials in bins with cans, bottles, plastics and more.  To find out what can be recycled in your area or for more information on recycling, visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreenfromhome.com.  In addition, be sure to follow Waste Management on Twitter and Facebook for additional recycling information.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreenfromhome.com.