Virginia Tech Printer Sustainability Program

Contact: Sanah Ali (sanah13@vt.edu), Maddy Bloomer, Megan Richardson

360 Shanks Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24060

What if we told you that we could invest in an innovative product that can help save money while
lessening our environmental impact?

Need
Virginia Tech Recycling has set a goal to reach a 50% recycling rate by 2020. Though the number of
recycled items has increased greatly over the years, we peaked in 2012 at a 44.1% recycling rate and
then decreased to 40.5% by 2014. We believe we have found a solution to this downward trend that
will steadily increase our recycling rate and achieve the 50% recycling rate goal. When considering the
amount of paper products that are recycled, their weight, the recycling rate, and the cost of a single
ream of paper, the university spends approximately $3.92 million on paper products annually. We
propose that we can cut the cost of products, the waste management of those products, and the
environmental impact of producing paper with a one-time investment.

Goal
Reach a 50% recycling rate of printer paper on campus by 2020.

Approach
Investing in the Epson Recyclable Printer would allow us to streamline the entire paper recycling
process and have it happen all on our own campus. This would be a one-time purchase that will
positively impact every department on campus for years to come. The printer has the ability to print
13 standard-sized 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper per minute and 6,500 sheets in an eight-hour day. It is also
able to print in various customizable sizes, colors, thicknesses, and even scents.

While typical paper recycling processes use one cup of water per sheet of paper, this printer
revolutionizes the world of recycling by using the first dry process. This means it uses minimal water
to maintain humidity in the machine and no bleach. The Epson process also completely destroys
sensitive documents, eliminating the need for paper shredders.
 This printer can help Hokie nation purchase less new paper (this printer can save $52,195 annually),
recycle more paper, and reduce CO emissions released during the typical transportation of recycling
paper. We want more transparency in Virginia Techs recycling process, and advertising this printer will
create a buzz on campus to get the whole community involved with the recycling initiative.

We plan to achieve our goal to reduce the universitys paper consumption in the following ways:
By purchasing one Epson Recyclable Printer to be housed in the Newman Library; since it is
already the printing hub of campus, the printer will be of most benefit there.
By publicizing where/what this printer is with flyers, emails, and directions around campus to
the printer.

To advertise this installation, we will contact Virginia Techs Office of Energy and Sustainability to
promote the printer on their Facebook page and to send out emails informing students of the
collection stations around campus. In addition, we will produce flyers to pass out to passersby on the
Drillfield and to place in the dining halls so the community can learn more about our approach. We
propose that these flyers be made with the 100% recycled paper generated from the printer to
illustrate the quality of the printer.

Since we already have multiple collection stations around campus for recycling paper, it would be cost
efficient to continue using those same stations to collect the paper for the Epson Recyclable Printer.

Budget

Item Estimated Cost

Epson Printer $70,500

Advertising
Dining hall notecards $150
Flyers for the Drillfield $50

Total: $70,700