Are Receipts Recyclable? The Right Way to Reduce Waste

Many types of paper can be recycled, but are receipts recyclable?

The unfortunate truth is that receipts are not recyclable—well, most receipts aren't recyclable anyway.

In this short guide, we'll explore why your receipts probably aren't recyclable and what you can do instead to reduce paper waste.

We'll also show you how Shoeboxed can revolutionize how you shop and manage receipts, so stay tuned!

Why aren't receipts recyclable?

Caption: Thermal receipts contain chemicals that prevent them from being recyclable.

Different types of receipts have been used throughout the decades (millennia, even).

Before the late 1960s, receipts were printed with pale ink. Today, most receipts are made of thermal paper. It's this thermal paper that prevents receipts from being recyclable.

Thermal paper contains free-form bisphenol A (BPA) or bisphenol S (BPS), instead of ink, to produce the letters and numbers on receipts. These chemicals, in their free form, can transfer to your skin or the food or products in your shopping bags.

BPA and BPS have been linked to endocrine disruption (meaning they put your hormones out of whack), which can adversely affect your reproductive health, brain development, and heart and lung health, among other organs and bodily functions.

Since BPA and BPS are so easily transferable, they pose a risk of contaminating other recycled paper products.

How do I know if my receipt is recyclable?

According to the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, "Paper receipts printed with standard ink are fine to recycle."

You can spot a thermal paper receipt by scratching it with a coin or your fingernail. The friction produces heat, and if the paper discolors, you know it's thermal paper likely containing phenol developers and cannot be recycled.

Receipts not printed with phenol developers, such as BPA and BPS, can be recycled under "mixed office paper."

Are receipts compostable?

BPA-coated receipts are harmful and leach chemicals into the soil when composted. High levels of BPA and BPS are known to disrupt hormones and negatively impact reproductive and organ health.

Needless to say, you probably don't want that in your garden.

Can you burn thermal paper receipts?

You shouldn't throw receipts into your firepit. If burned, the chemical coating on receipt paper would release BPA and other harmful chemicals into the air, which is not only detrimental to your health but also to the environment.

What do you do with old receipts?

So, if you can't recycle receipts, compost, or burn them, what do you do?

Sadly, the only way to dispose of receipts properly is by throwing them in the trash.

There is still an environmental impact with millions of trees being cut down each year, but trashing receipts isn't the worst thing you could do, as they make up a tiny fraction of the paper consumed annually.

Still, the best alternative is to eliminate paper receipts, skipping the landfill bin and recycling process entirely.

Ditch paper receipts with Shoeboxed

Caption: Shoeboxed turns receipts into digital data.

The best solution to the receipt recycling dilemma is to opt for digital receipts instead of printed receipts.

Shoeboxed is a receipt-scanning app and service that can be synced with your Gmail. 

Whenever you make a purchase online, Shoeboxed will automatically pull the receipt from your inbox and categorize it in your account under the appropriate tax category.

PRO TIP: If you're shopping in person, most stores will let you choose an electronic receipt. At checkout, simply select the email receipt option, and Shoeboxed will do the rest!

Not only will you not have to worry about recycling your paper receipts, but you'll also have a tidy place to store your expenses and play a pivotal role in reducing paper waste and protecting the environment.

What are Shoeboxed's other features?

1. Mobile app and user-friendly web dashboard

Caption: Shoeboxed demo web dashboard.

With Shoeboxed’s mobile app, you can snap photos of old paper receipts and upload them directly to your account, or you can use Shoeboxed's web dashboard to upload receipts or documents from your computer.

2. Expense reporting and reimbursements made easy

Caption: Example expense report from Shoeboxed demo account.

Shoeboxed's expense reporting feature makes it easy to get a bird's eye view of your expenses, send them to your accountant for tax season, or report business expenses to your employer for reimbursement.

Expenses come with images of the receipts attached and are neatly organized in a detailed report. Shoeboxed expense reports are even customizable.

Just select the receipts to include in your report and click “export selected.”

3. Search and filter

Shoeboxed's advanced search function can help you find a receipt in seconds or you can filter your expenses based on the following:

• Vendors.

• Purchase date.

• Price.

• Currency.

• Categories.

• Payment type used.

...and more!

4. Integration with accounting software

Exporting receipts to your accounting software has never been easier.

Shoeboxed integrates with 12+ apps to automate expense management, including the following:

• Xero

• QuickBooks

• Wave Accounting

5. Unlimited free sub-users

Shoeboxed lets users add an unlimited number of free sub-users to their accounts, which means there's no extra charge to add family members, employees, tax professionals, or accountants to view and manage expenses.

6. The Magic Envelope

Caption: Outsource receipt scanning with the Magic Envelope service.

If you're unsure how to go about recycling receipts, chances are you have a ton of them shoved in a box somewhere waiting to be tossed in the recycling bin.

That's where the Magic Envelope comes in!

Shoeboxed's Magic Envelope service lets users outsource their receipt scanning and management. When you sign up for a plan that includes the Magic Envelope, you'll receive an envelope in the mail each month to send your receipts in.

When your receipts reach the scanning facility, they're turned into digital data, human-verified for accuracy, and uploaded to your account under the tax categories (or a custom category of your choosing).

You can even opt for the team at Shoeboxed to shred and dispose of receipts you send in.

Frequently asked questions

How do you dispose of receipts?

Paper recycling is out of the question when it comes to soft thermal paper receipts. For most receipts, the only answer is to throw them in the trash. Alternatively, you can refuse thermal receipts by choosing a digital receipt at checkout.

Why aren't receipts recyclable?

Thermal receipts are not made with recyclable paper. The thermal paper used for receipts is made with bisphenol-A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS). These substances are endocrine disrupters and easily transferable and would contaminate the recycled paper or other paper products in the recycling stream.

Conclusion

To answer the question, "Are receipts recyclable?" no, you cannot recycle most receipts.

Some companies are switching to receipts made from recyclable materials, but the best option is to always choose digital receipts when making purchases.

Shoeboxed is the easiest way to reduce paper waste, protect yourself from harmful chemicals, and organize the purchases you make online and in-store.

Hannah DeMoss is a staff writer for Shoeboxed covering organization and digitization tips for small business owners. Her favorite organization hack is labeling everything in her kitchen cabinets, and she can’t live without her mini label maker machine.

About Shoeboxed!

Shoeboxed is a receipt scanning service with receipt management software that supports multiple methods for receipt capture: send, scan, upload, forward, and more!

You can stuff your receipts into one of our Magic Envelopes (prepaid postage within the US). Use our receipt tracker + receipt scanner app (iPhone, iPad and Android) to snap a picture while on the go. Auto-import receipts from Gmail. Or forward a receipt to your designated Shoeboxed email address.

Turn your receipts into data and deductibles with our expense reports that include IRS-accepted receipt images.

Join over 1 million businesses scanning & organizing receipts, creating expense reports and more—with Shoeboxed.

Try Shoeboxed today!