Since the 11th Saeima convened, the Presidium has received submissions from 63 MPs renouncing the use of hard copies of documents related to plenary sittings. A symbolic green spruce is glued on their file boxes.

Since everyone has electronic access to plenary-sitting documents, MPs can work with them during sittings by using their laptops.

Also the National Alliance of All for Latvia! and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK parliamentary group and six committees, namely, the European Affairs Committee, the Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee, the Social Cohesion Committee, the Budget and Finance (Taxation) Committee, the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, as well as the Public Expenditure and Audit Committee, have renounced the use of hard copies of documents related to plenary sittings.

During the previous convocation of the Saeima, 53 MPs did not use printouts while during the 9th Saeima more than 40 MPs refrained from using printouts in order to save natural resources. 

In order to reduce paper consumption, documents related to plenary sittings are condensed as much as possible and copied on both sides of a page. Documents left over from plenary sittings, as well as other used papers, are collected and forwarded to Līgatne paper mill. The paper mill collects waste paper with its own transport free of charge.

Since spring 2010, the parliament buildings have cardboard boxes in which people can put waste paper for recycling. These boxes are a handy way to collect waste paper from offices, committee meeting rooms and other areas of the parliament.

Also, each e-mail sent from the @saeima.lv domain contains a uniform signature asking the addressee to save natural resources and to consider before printing whether a hard copy is needed.

Recycling a ton of office paper saves approximately two tons of pulp. Paper recycling also saves a considerable amount of energy and water used in the manufacturing process.
 

 


Saeima Press Service