Cardboard Duo-Tangs

Say goodbye to plastic binders and notebooks that break, are sometimes expensive, and above all, damaging for the environment once reusing is not possible anymore, for here is a better option: cardboard duo-tangs! Yep, although you can find many clear or opaque plastic duo-tangs, there are eco-friendly ones on the market. They are made out of thin cardboard and metal for the ties. Perfect to get organized, colorful and sleek, small and flexible, low waste; what more could one ask for?

The main reason why they are my go-to organizing and note-taking tool is the fact that they allow me to avoid waste. Unlike a regular notebook, the sheets aren't already attached. You can therefore add just the right amount of sheets, whether they are handwritten notes, printed ones, assignments, etc., and gather everything in one place. You can easily vary the type of paper used depending on your needs - graph paper for maths, science, lined paper to write, blank paper, printed class notes, and presentation slides... The possibilities are endless! In addition, the sheet's order can be changed, although I admit it can be an arduous task since all the sheets would have to be taken out and back in the clips (unlike with a binder).

I don't mind new ones for every new class because (apart from them being solely made out of paper/cardboard) I let my notes after completing the course. I like to keep everything and duo-tangs can hold much more than one would expect (65 sheets is the maximum I've tried!), while taking minimal space because they adjust to the amount of paper they hold, they are flexible, and even the spine is thin. They spare me the massive waste of time that is removing my notes from binders, finding another place to put them at the end of the semester. Instead, I keep every duo-tang filled with their current content, on a shelf.

There are various colors available, which allows for both a fun appearance (they don't have logos on them as well, so they look very sleek) and color-coding. Mines also have a rectangle in relief, where I write the course name and number, as well as the semester.

I've mentioned I like to buy one for every class, and another reason for that is the price. When it's school shopping season, at the end of the summer, I find them at Staples for only CAN$0.10, which is really cheap! The paper can be bought separately, in bigger (less individual packaging), and usually cheaper packs.

Later fellow students 🌱