The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

Going Paperless

219 Comments

November 7, 2008 by Kathy McManus

Paper or plastic? 

It used to be one of the dominant decisions for consumers. 

But as more and more supermarkets and other stores have phased out the use of so-called disposable plastic bags, a different environmental question still lingers: Paper or electronic? Bills, that is. 

For many people, paying bills online is a no-brainer way to save time and resources. But millions of Americans continue to receive all their bills by mail, which they pay with paper checks, send with postage, and add to the handling of even more paper mail moving around the country. 

It’s estimated that if every American household went paper-free for bill-paying the environmental impact would include 

• Reducing solid waste in U.S. landfills by more than 800,000 tons a year 
• Saving an estimated 18.5 million trees every year 
• Curbing the release of greenhouse gases by 2.1 million tons a year 

Some hard-copy holdouts cite security concerns in not going paperless. But others are unable or unwilling to cross a psychological barrier. “I choose to get and pay my bills by mail because it feels more substantial to me,” says a 30 year-old colleague who otherwise recycles and reduces elsewhere in her life. “I just don’t think it’s my responsibility to go paperless if it makes me feel insecure.” 

Tell us what you think: Should you be responsible for reducing your carbon footprint by putting away the checkbook and paying bills electronically? When the environmentally responsible route makes you feel uneasy, is it personally responsible to override it?

219 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• November 11, 2008 by Aaron

  When it comes to the environmental responsibility, I would like to sacrifice my personal feeling. Uneasy does not equal insecurity. Admittedly, holdouts would be understood if their security become compromised. Otherwise, our emotional inconsistencies are secondary in the environmental improvement. We should coordinate our individual attitude and get accustomed to paperless society.

  Reply

  • September 12, 2010 by Diane Dyess

    we must go paperless,4 our own survival and protect nature.we r much more secure w/a good bank,of our choice,there is an overload on mail carriers,& it just takes a few minutes 2 pay online.Mailboxes r accessible 2 criminals 2 easy,they cannot keep track of your mail as u used 2 believe.when u wait 2 pay a bill by mail now,u r taking the change of that payment not gettting 2 your electric or phone,or gas company,and now they r heartless about due dates! it may not get there at all! that is a 'BIG" WORRY! SAVE THE TREES,THE BIRDS,THE AIR,GO PAPERLESS,AND PAY BILLS ONLINE THRU YOUR BANK.

    Reply

• November 12, 2008 by Jason A. Dunford

  I wish it all so simple. As it were with those who pioneered the geography to establish our country, so must the internet slowly spread. Those of us of who unfortunately still find the fortune and wherewithal to survive in rural places must deal with the borderline achievements and failures of a paperless society. It still costs us the time at work, gas, electricity, house payment, vehicle payment, satellite uplink, and dog food to afford such a contribution to our environment. The blog should be titled "If you live in a city, take a bus--then pay your bills on the internet." I think if the mathematical computations were accurate, a much greater contribution would impact our environment.

  Reply

• November 12, 2008 by stacy gregory

  Please remember that when you pay a bill online one time that you have just given the company the right to withdraw money monthly on bill day...The problem with this is that you deposit your money on certain days and if you do not have enough money in the bank to pay the bill you will be charged for insufficient funds...your banks with tell you this is true...by using even a credit card to pay a bill you have also just given that company permission to automatically withdraw your money the next due date...It is a dangerous thing...Maybe companies should stop sending duplicates of mail...Penndot, here in Pennsylvania, sent me 3 letters exactly the same in 3 different envelopes...What say we all about the junk mail we get and just throw away, now there is avoidable waste...There is a problem and we need to all pitch in a bit to help but some things are just dangerous.

  Reply

• November 13, 2008 by Sheryl

  More Americans than ever, an estimated 63.1 million households or three-fourth of those online, are paying their bills online rather than writing paper checks, according to a recent survey. (Survey: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=94799&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1191071&highlight;=) To get started or learn more about viewing and paying bills online, you can visit eBILLPLACE.com, a consumer website with a lot of helpful tips, how-to information, and calculators to determine how much time and money you would save and calculate the environmental benefits of going paperless. You can also search for billers and banks that offer paperless billing and online bill pay. eBILLPLACE is sponsored by CheckFree (now part of Fiserv), the provider of electronic billing and payment services for banks and billers.

  Reply

  • July 8, 2009 by Jane

    jeff dunham video clips bubba j power rangerscoloring sheets worldwinner pool auto aimer downloads dssmili key grabber pansat usa download 2500 free phim bo download lil wayne cannon stacy the kat carter www lilboosie and foxx picture com free birthday banner and print decoracion de globos para quinceaneras cozy knit shoulderette ver video de noelia cojiendo poems using metaphors christopher paolini book 3 release date 2000 taurus serpentine belt diagrams mossy oak breakup myspace layouts carson perry scott printable graffiti stencils air hogs reflex

    Reply

• November 14, 2008 by JB

  I'd love to go paperless, but when tax time comes around, I need written proof stapled to all of my other documentation to support my claim on my long form. Ink cartridges are very expensive, and bills are lengthy so printing them out is no less costly and only slightly less efficient going the old route. Anyone have a solution to this conundrum?

  Reply

  • May 25, 2010 by m.duthie

    any company you deal with-gas,electric,phone,ect. will print back logged copies if needed. also you can back them up on a hard drive. how often do you get audited?

    Reply

• November 14, 2008 by Deborah R Herr

  This article brings up an interesting point. Should we be judging the worthiness of each other's sustainability efforts? I am pretty computer literate but do not like the feeling of paying my bills online. I also buy hardcover and soft cover books when I could just as easily buy an e-book reader. I just like the feel, the smell, the "book-ness" of the real thing. But, I do as much as I can in other ways to save the planet. I'm a dutiful recycler of everything including our electronics. I take public transportation. I try to buy locally grown food. Competition is not the point. We must praise and salute each other for understanding the planet problem and doing whatever we can. Let's not make it an "I'm greener than you" contest.

  Reply

• November 15, 2008 by Michelle Holt

  I am green person; I recycle, shop second-hand, compost, grow my own veggies and while I do pay a few bills on line, the idea of paying all of them somehow scares me. All my numbers being out there for anyone to access is hard for me to get my brain around that something won't happen!!

  Reply

• December 7, 2008 by Cecily

  There is another way to pay bills electronically without technically banking on line. 1 You need a specific FDIC insured checking account that permits the bank to make electronic payments on three specific bills each month. One of these bills should be your credit card. (Sometimes banks classify these as "savings accounts" although right now the interest you earn is paltry.) 2 Have your pay "checks" or social security "checks" directly deposited to this account. 3 Authorize the bank to auto pay 2 major recurrent bills each month AND put everything else on your credit card and authorize your bank to auto pay your credit card bill each month. This will eliminate the need to use many checks and stamps.

  Reply

  • December 28, 2008 by

    I have been considering changing from my old habits (I'm 80-old!) of many years and paying my bills online. Your suggestions are very good, and helped push me to look into changing my ways. Thanks much

    Reply

• January 4, 2009 by

  I don't trust computers with money. I have seen a computer create about $50 out of nothing, because communications failed during a transaction. If I had my way, computers should never be allowed to handle money or personal information.

  Reply

• January 7, 2009 by

  I've done without paper bills for a long time and for the most part I am happy with online banking. In my opinion the real problem is caused by postal trash, better known as marketing and advertisement. I've signed up for every opt-out list I've found and many companies keep on sending me unsolicited catalogs, mailers, offers, coupons, etc. I don't even look at them; they go straight to the recycling bin and make about 1/3 of the trash that I dispose of every week.

  Reply

• January 16, 2009 by

  Pay your bills online.

  Reply

  • July 2, 2010 by Polly Rapp

    I want to pay my bill on line.

    Reply

    • July 23, 2010 by Roland Lyons

      Please direct me how to pay on line in a simple clear way.

    • July 30, 2010 by kathleenhaberkamp

      i like to pay my comed bills on line

• January 16, 2009 by

  Sounds great should have been doing it like this 20 years ago!

  Reply

Tell us what you think.