Mother Earth Hates Gift Cards…But Earthworks Likes Em'
The decorations are starting to come down, it’s prime tree-cycling season, and the after holiday sales are in your face like a drill sergeant after a few Four Lokos. Many of you received gift cards this year and you’re anxious to go out and spend them, but unlike a credit/ATM card that you reuse over and over again, gift cards usually end up in the trash when their balance hits zero.
In fact, over 75 million pounds of PVC material from plastic cards enters our waste stream each year….much of it from single use gift cards. The best way to decrease the environmental impact of these gift cards is to reduce the number of cards manufactured each year. PVC is tough to recycle because of the chemical additives used in its production, and until recently there haven’t been many convenient options for consumers to recycle their used gift cards.
Until now….
Earthworks has developed the first fully-recycled and fully-recyclable PVC sheet material for the printed product market by safely transforming existing PVC into reusable sheet stock. Based out of Solon, OH, Earthworks partners with retailers to collect used PVC cards for recycling, and also accepts your used gift cards in the mail.
So when you go out and shop, don’t drop your used gift cards in the trash. Ask the cashier if they have a card recycling program, or stick them in an envelope and send them to Earthworks at the address below.
Earthworks c/o Halprin Ind.
25840 Miles Rd.
Bedford, OH 44146