The Problem with Recycling Receipts

Every year, billions of paper receipts are wasted in the trash. And to make these receipts, billions of gallons of water are used and a large amount of deforestation happens every year.

But the main issue is that we can’t recycle the receipts because of their composition. Generally, there are two kinds of paper receipts, one is old-fashioned and is printed on ordinary paper material and has a very matt texture, while the other one is printed on thermal paper, which has a very soft and shiny feel and texture. But still, it is impossible to identify a clear difference between the two. Most of the time, stores, banks, petrol pumps, etc use thermal paper for receipts. Because thermal paper is cost-effective and doesn’t need ink to produce the desired alphabets and letters on the receipts. The chemical properties of thermal paper react with heat to display text on the receipts. And to have those thermal properties, thermal paper is coated with BPA (Bisphenol A) and BPS (Bisphenol S).

Health effects of Bisphenol-A and Bisphenol-S

BPA and BPS are chemicals that are used in industries to produce a certain type of plastic. Like the name of the chemical implies, the chemical itself is very harmful to human health. It can cause cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and an increase in the level of blood pressure. These chemicals are also hormone disruptors that can disrupt mammary glands, lungs, and reproductive abilities. It is so dangerous that even a touch of 5 seconds of a receipt will transfer a significant amount of virus to the body. A study published by Swiss scientists found that the BPA was transferred from receipts to the skin and then penetrated the skin to such a depth that it could not be washed off.

So if we recycle the receipts, then it will contaminate all other products that are being made from recycled paper with BPA and BPS by contaminating the recycling stream.

Suppose we recycled all the receipts instead of disposing of them in the trash. Shopping bags , facial tissues, and paper towels will be produced from that recycled paper. It is very dangerous for those people who will use these products because these shopping bags and facial tissues are contaminated with BPS and BPA. A report published by the Ecology Center’s Healthy Stuff Program in 2018 found BPA and BPS in 93% of tested receipts. That’s why you shouldn’t recycle receipts.

Can we burn receipts?

Burning the receipts is very dangerous for the environment because if we burn thermal receipts then it will release the BPA and BPS into the atmosphere and contaminate the air in which we breath.

Can Receipts be Composted?

Composting the receipts is not an option as well, because if we composite the receipts, then it will contaminate the soil with BPA and BPS.

What is the solution?

There are a few things we can do in this situation.

According to POS Supply Solutions, a receipt can be recycled if it is made of phenol-free thermal paper. But if you don’t use phenol-free thermal paper, then it will contaminate the recycling stream.

The ideal solution is to forget about the idea of paper receipts and email the receipts to the customer. In the UK, many marts and stores provide digital receipts to their customers instead of paper ones. But still, it is only possible for developed countries to do that because they are completely digitalized. On the other hand, developing countries require a long time to reach this level.

The best possible solution is to avoid the receipts as much as possible, and the safest place to discard thermal receipts is to dispose of them in the trash followed by immediate hand washing.