Far be it from me to tell you not to recycle paper, but I do have one exception for you: thermal receipts. Turns out they are BAD NEWS not only for the planet, but for your health as well. Now, maybe it's not "new news" to you (since, in researching this post, I found this report from 2010) but I personally hadn't realized until recently that those little curled-up, hard-to-read receipts we all get from gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, and even the public library can potentially cause cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, asthma, endocrine disruption, and a whole host of other very serious health issues. That's because the receipts are coated with BPA (Bisphenol A), a chemical that is used as the developer for the ink. Once you touch it, it can enter the bloodstream. (Yikes!)
Thermal receipts are not healthy for the planet, either. As I found out when I read Garbage Land (you can read more about the book here), if you toss in thermal receipts with your regular paper recycling, they can spoil the whole load. If you end up with them in your purse or wallet, just throw them out (yep, you heard me right)--quickly, touching them as little as possible. Wash thoroughly with soap and water, especially before eating, and don't let children handle them because the health risks for them are even greater.
What's the best way to handle the thermal receipt problem? Reject the receipt in the first place. Plenty of places ask you if you'd like the receipt with your purchase. As Nancy Reagan said (yep, you heard me right--I'm all surprises today), "Just Say No." She wasn't talking about little scraps of paper, but you get the point. Many stores now ask you if you'd like your receipt emailed to you. Take that option if you need a receipt, and then hit "unsubscribe" once you get the receipt, so you won't be tempted to buy anything else when they start barraging you with sale messages. That's really my recurring message for being your greenest: Buy as little as you can. If you're like most Americans, you probably have much more than enough stuff already.
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