Why is it that college requires so much paper?

On average, a student takes about 15 credits a semester, that's five classes. Each class usually requires at least one textbook (yes, some require two). After the class is over with, more than likely, students will never again use that textbook unless it's needed for a continued class. Now, most times you are able to return those books to the college's bookstore or sell them to other students or online but there's some books that are loose leafed, or new editions of the book have been created and no one has a use for the older edition. What a waste of paper. What I am trying to figure out is why do we not use online books?

Online books are definitely becoming more common. They are more cost effective, you can write notes on the online version, and hey, you can rent most of them for a cheaper price, and don't worry about returning it on time because it is automatically taken off your device once the date you checked it out for expires. Although e-books are more common, professors still prefer it if you purchase the hard copy of the textbook. And what for? To stay off electronic devices during class? How often do professors really use the textbook IN class? Then there's the fact that some textbooks aren't even hard covered but come in loose leaf form. One, it's easy to lose track of the pages, two we are forced to purchase plastic binders that further ruin our environment, and three there is no use for them afterwards; you can't sell them back or to other students and they just end up in the trash. What a waste of trees. Then there's the use of notebook paper and printing paper.

Most professors require at least one paper, probably two pages or more and they probably prefer a hardcopy. But why? What is so wrong with emailing a paper in? There's easy ways to edit on Word and Google Docs that does not interfere with the original writing of the student. The professors also probably require you to take notes in class and outside of class. Why can we not use our computers to take these? You will be able to save these, will not lose them, share them with others, and it's less time consuming, something all college students would appreciate.

This is a lot of paper. At the end of the semester, I personally find myself trying to get rid of at least 2,000 pages of paper. Being off campus it's hard to find recycling resources so I'm stuck with all this paper because my conscious will not let me throw it all away. Often times it's stuck in a paper bag for well over a year until I can finally get rid of it. Sometimes I do want to keep my notes but I have nowhere to store it, so it goes in the recycling bag too.

What can we do? Ask your professor at the beginning of your course if it is alright to get the online version of the class textbook. Also, ask them if it is alright to take notes on your computer in class and outside of class. If they require a paper and want a hardcopy, see if it is okay to print double-sided, it saves more paper in the long run. Also, recycle, resell text books and if you can't sell them and you don't want them, give them away. If there's thousands of students like me who has so many papers that they don't want to keep, keep these things in consideration.