Paper Receipts
What Should I Do With It?
With nearly every in-person retail interaction, we are offered a receipt. While these thin, printed slips of paper might feel like they belong in the recycling bin, they are actually not accepted by most curbside recycling programs, nor should you compost them. This is because they are often coated with harmful chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA) or Bisphenol S (BPS), which can impact human health and easily contaminate other recyclables or the environment. It is best to simply throw receipts away with your regular trash so that they are safely contained in a landfill. Additionally, please avoid using receipts to light fires; burning them releases toxic chemicals into the air that are highly harmful to inhale.
Before throwing this away, see if it can be fixed up, given to a friend, or donated to a local thrift shop. Keeping items in use is the best way to stop waste before it starts!
The recycling guidelines shown here are for general reference and educational purposes. Every city and town has different rules, sorting equipment, and recycling programs.
Please check your local town website or ask your local garbage collection program to make sure you are following your neighborhood's rules.