Do they make recyclable gift cards. I see tons thrown in trash every day?

Question

There are tons of gift cards disposed of every day couldn't they use biodegradable gift cards instead?

Answer 1

Many gift and greetings cards are recyclable anyway. After Christmas a couple of our local Supermarkets provide bins for such used cards which are then taken away to be recycled. Most normal card is biodegradable anyway, and most can be re-cycled into cardboard as well. What you are really addressing is the fact that people do not sort their rubbish - but certainly in England we are moving to a situation where all local authorities will require citizens to sort their rubbish and separate anything that can be recycled. Heavy financial penalties are being mooted for anyone who does not comply with the regulations, Whether or not it is a good thing that local authorities should have such powers to compel citizen behavior is another matter altogether.

Answer 2

I have seen some @ Christmas that say they have post consumer waste content. But, you can also reuse them before adding them to the recycle bin. I cut the designs off the front to use as gift tags and recycle the rest, then recycle the tags after Christmas or whatever holiday. My mom found directions on an origami site where you fold them to make really cute gift boxes that can be recycled after the fact. I have also framed the fronts of some that are just so beautiful, I couldn't toss them, which has made for great artwork in my home. When I get tired of it, it goes into the recycle bin and another gets popped in! It's a great way to create fun art groupings that are 'green', too.

Okay, I didn't even think about store gift cards - the ones that are not reloadable, I toss in w/ my plastics. Never had a problem w/ it. When my daughter was younger, she would play w/ them for a while when playing 'store' before they went in the bin. We have also used them in art projects as mosaic tiles, too.

Answer 3

You have a good question, by looking at answers that have been given ahead of me, follow the rule, can something else be made from this. The city I live in, we have three bins, anything that can be recycled (paper-plastic), all the garden waste (green recyclable items), the other is for non-recyclable items (garbage). Let me say if you want to leave town for a few days on pick up day, it's hell waiting for the three trucks to pick up each bin. My luck when I'm not going anywhere, the bins are picked up early (before 11:00 am ), when I'm getting ready to hit the road, two get picked up and the last one ends up being left for next week. I've been seen pushing the green bin with yard waste across the street so the driver picks it up, because it has taken 2-3 hours later when the driver picks up on our side of the street. Call the company, it doesn't work, they have from 6:00am to 5:00 pm to do the route. I like the idea of one can and it was always picked up before I went to work at 6:00 am, times change and we have to also.

Answer 4

Gift cards are recyclable because its made of paper. The problem is people just throw in on trash instead of placing it on recycling bin.

Answer 5

If you have small children, you can make games out of the fronts of greeting cards: cut 5 or 6 in half, mix them up, and you have a matching game. Or cut up one into several pieces and you have a puzzle. You can also use the fronts of old greeting cards as gift tags. Here's a site with other ideas:
http://www.ehow.com/how_9171_recycle-reuse-holiday.html

As for the plastic gift cards (and hotel room keys!): I try to return them to the store or hotel when they are used up. You can also recycle them with other plastics.

Answer 6

i do agree with u there. at trader joes u buy the gift card and use it once and u cannot recharge them and in my mind i think its a waste. the best i can do is collect each of them and find some use for them (still thinking) i do like the idea of biodegradable gift cards but i think it'll be a long while before they'll come up with those or unless alot of people demand those.

Answer 7

Walmart, Victoria's Secert, Chili's, Sears, KMart, Starbucks, and most resturants have reloadable gift cards.A lot of people do not ask if they are reloadable. That is why you see most of those cards in the trash. I think that if you want to eliminated the waste, you might to write to some of the corporations and ask that they have reloadable gift cards than to have people buy more and more gift cards. It will eliminate the waste in the trash and be more suitable for the consumer.

Answer 8

many gift cards are made of hard plastic now which is very recyclable. the thing about it is that the millions of people that buy them and get rid of them do not recycle them.

Answer 9

Yes just look at the back side. Many says they are made with recycled products.

Answer 10

i thought most were recyclable? i could be wrong. but it might be that people just dont recycle them.