Frank Lautenberg: “I rise to urge my colleagues to join me in reducing the amount of paper generated in the U.S. Senate by adopting a…”

“I rise to urge my colleagues to join me in reducing the amount of paper generated in the U.S. Senate by adopting a policy of using double-sided paper in their personal and committee offices. By shrinking our use of paper, we can save the taxpayer money and reduce our use of natural resources. The United States generated 196 million tons of garbage in 1990. The largest component of the municipal solid waste stream--52 million tons in 1990--is paper and paperboard. We need to address our Nation's mounting garbage problem by generating less garbage, particularly paper waste. The U.S. Congress has initiated some commendable measures to deal with this problem. Among these are the recycling program that each Senator's office participates in and the printing of the Congressional Record on recycled paper generated by Garden State Paper in Garfield, NJ. Yet, while these programs extend the life of the raw materials that are used to manufacture products, the highest priority in the Nation's waste management hierarchy is to prevent the generation of waste in the first place.”