Grand Valley State University students are wasting less paper on campus, according to a study conducted by the academic computing department.

About 13.9 percent of paper, or 38,400 pages, was wasted on the Allendale Campus, costing the university $272.03 in paper and $14.52 in toner. On the Pew Campus, 4.94 percent, or 26,500 sheets, were wasted, costing $113.34 in paper and $5.71 in toner.

Jayne Dissette, GVSU academic systems supervisor, said student technicians from Computing and Technology Support collected the papers for the survey, which was conducted Feb. 11 through 17. Dissette added that the student technicians loaded wasted paper from recycling bins into boxes and estimated how much paper fit into the boxes.

“It seems pretty close,” she said.

Paper was taken from Manitou, Mackinaw, Henry, Lake Superior and Lake Ontario halls on the Allendale Campus. Wasted paper was also found in The Connection and the Honors College.

On the Pew Campus, paper was studied in the DeVos Center and the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.

Dissette said students get the credit for saving paper on the campuses.

“It’s neat to see the students themselves have contentiously reduced waste,” she said.

She said students are doing a good job saving paper and they should continue to be contentious about wasted paper on GVSU’s campuses.

“We can still reduce the amount of waste,” Dissette added.

She said each year the university considers charging students for printed paper. However, there are no plans to charge students.

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