Imagine that you paste all your receipts together. How many square meters can we cover?
Most paper receipts are printed unasked. Even if you do not want the receipts, they do exist. With a receipt you can return your purchases or complete your taxes. But most purchases (coffee, chocolate bar at the petrol station or the weekly shopping) are not important enough to save the receipts.
So away with the receipts! Discarding them doesn’t help. Consumers (yes, you!) should ask shops not to print the receipt.
Receipt Paper
Receipts are often printed on heat-sensitive paper. Why? Because it has the ability to print a relatively high speed and low cost (no ink needed) with an acceptable resolution for printing. These coupons are fading slowly and turn completely black from heat. In 2002 in Europe 77% of the receipts were printed on thermal paper and 23% with a matrix printer (Source: Wikipedia). Thermal paper can not be recycled.
Unhealthy coupon
To color the thermal paper a layer of powder is made on one side of the ticket. The powder colors when heated. The powder coating contains BPA (Bisphenol A). BPA is known as an endrocrin disruptor.
Put an example
Online shops and some companies send a digital invoice. Some supermarkets print receipts only when you ask them to and on FSC paper.
Do you have a remarkable experience? Put a comment below this blog.
Read the article ‘Please kill the paper receipt‘ and vote for the poll.