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Writer's pictureNatalie McMyn

Day 4: Think twice before recycling receipts

I’m starting to get the hang of this routine. I’m not tired of eating my meal prepped foods either. There was no waste today except for the sticker on the apple from dinner.


Earlier this evening, I went to an ice cream shop to celebrate something with my friends (shout out to Blank Slate for those who know Ann Arbor).

Blank Slate ice cream
Blank Slate, Ann Arbor, MI

When picking between the cone and cup, I chose the cone. The cup has an inner wax lining that prevents it from being recycled or composted. Unintentionally, the cone also came with a napkin. Since the shop didn’t have a compost bin there, I brought it back home to be composted in a bin on campus. In addition to having an environmentally friendly house, I’m very fortunate to be on a campus that has implemented compost bins. They’re not everywhere yet, but they’re still easy to find around cafés .


Later that evening, I was describing my challenge to another friend, and we got talking about recycling receipts. I knew some receipts could be recycled and that others could not but didn’t know how to tell. It took a bit of searching, but most receipts from stores are printed on thermal paper that cannot be recycled and is toxic. Only actual paper receipts can be recycled. One way to tell if it’s thermal paper is to see if it leaves scratch marks from fingernails on either side of the receipt. Sadly, this means my grocery store receipts will have to go into the trash.

Kroger receipt on thermal paper
Kroger receipt

Note the scratches under my thumbnail, indicating that this receipt was printed on thermal paper. 

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