Gift cards are a major pet-peeve of mine. I strongly believe that they are doing more harm than good by making us impulse shop and buy crap we simply don’t need, have you ever thought about What Happens To All Those Plastic Gift Cards? Can you relate? Someone gives you a gift card and you feel the urge to use it right away? Gift cards are also made from PVC, a type of plastic that is typically not recycled and is also not accepted by most recycling system. So they end up in the garbage, and then landfill. Related: A Guide To Re-Gifting Without Remorse Credit cards and hotel key cards are made of PVC, as are items like pipes, vinyl siding for your house, records, shower curtains and mattress covers. According to the International Card Manufacturers Association, nearly 17 billion plastic cards were produced in 2006. And 10 billion new gift cards are created every year. 10 billion gift cards have the potential to add 75 to 100 million pounds of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material to landfills. That’s because gift cards are often made from PVC — a toxic compound that produces carcinogens and toxins including chlorine residue and heavy-metal pollutants. Even worse, when burned, PVC releases dioxins and gases such as hydrogen chloride. That’s a big issue and I am not sure one that can be solved easily as a recent survey showed that they are the most popular thing to give in Canada. Realted: Great Lakes Facing An Attack From Micro-Plastic We actually have an entire website dedicated to buying gift cards. UGH! In another survey 53% of us will opt to buy gift cards this year. Now you are probably thinking what’s the big deal?  these are so small? But when you consider that in 2014, two billion gift cards were purchased in the U.S. alone it’s a lot. According to Giftrocket.com each physical card contains about five grams of PVC and generates 21 grams of CO2. That means in total, gift cards created 10,000 tonnes of PVC waste and 42,000 tonnes of CO2 in the U.S. alone in 2014. So what can you do? Talk to the retailer and ask them if they have a take back program. Consider and e-gift card that can be used electronically. Mail the used card to a recycling centre  such as Terracycle. They allow you to send in your plastic gift cards for recycling. These companies break the plastic cards down and create new plastic products from the material. Upcycle your gift card into something else. If you’re feeling crafty, you can always use the plastic gift card for a wide range of projects. For example, you can use a gift card to keep your earbud cords from tangling. Reload the card and gift it to someone else. I’d love to see more retailers offer better options that plastic, like wood or paper AND it would be even better if the cars could be reloaded, in many cases they can’t be. Earthworks Systems, which manufactures gift cards from 100% recycled PVC, will also accept old cards for recycling. To get instructions about recycling your cards, fill out the registration form on the company’s website and a representative will email all the necessary information. There has been some progress with some retailers offering cards made from corn sugar that are biodegradable. But this raises the issue of using food crops, or crops on land suitable for food production, for something other than food. I’ve also read about PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) being used – PET is one of the easiest plastics to recycle and is most commonly found in the form of soda bottles. The barrier to uptake appears to be cost, with PET costing about 20% more. We all have plastic cards in our wallets: drivers licences, health cars, credit cards etc. and we are all responsible for where these little plastic cards end up.

Brands saying no to plastic

The global plastic crisis is getting out of hand. Many single-use plastic items, only designed to be used once, take centuries to decompose. With just 14% of plastic packaging being recycled, according to a 2017 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Economic Forum, recycling clearly isn’t working either. Fortunately, some companies are making huge strides in reducing the amount of plastic they use – click or scroll through as we take a look at what they're doing.      

 

In our callout for greener gifting ideas, some readers suggested gift certificates for things like a show, a restaurant or, more traditionally, a store. Gift cards can be a great last-minute option, and they’re very popular — in fact, they were the most popular holiday gift in a recent online survey of Canadians, more than half of whom planned to buy gift cards for their loved ones. But they, too, have an environmental impact. Many gift cards are made of PVC plastic, which is hard to recycle and isn’t accepted by most recycling systems. While they’re small and slim, their popularity means they add up — in 2014, two billion gift cards were purchased in the U.S. alone, according to an estimate by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Giftrocket, a company that offers e-gift cards, estimates that each physical card contains about five grams of PVC and generates 21 grams of CO2. That means in total, gift cards created 10,000 tonnes of PVC waste and 42,000 tonnes of CO2 in the U.S. alone in 2014. So, what to do? Here are some options:

• Some retailers, like Starbucks and Whole Foods, offer recyclable cardboard gift cards (see above photo).
• Many others offer gift cards that can be printed onto a sheet of paper.
• E-gift cards can be sent via email and printed out or redeemed online or from your phone.
• Some small businesses just keep a note of credit that you can redeem when you get to the store.
• If you have a plastic gift card that you’ve already spent, you can often reload it and re-gift it to someone else.

If you really want to recycle gift cards after using them and have a way of collecting a big volume, they can be recycled by a company named Terracycle, which specializes in recycling materials that normally aren’t recyclable. The company charges $91 to recycle a “small” box (25 x 25 x 46 centimetres) full of plastic cards. Some Canadian municipalities — for example, Strathcona in Alberta and Niagara Region in Ontario — allow people to drop off spent gift cards at certain depots for recycling. (The Municipality of Strathcona uses Terracycle as its gift card recycler.) Whatever you choose to do, think about what the gift card or certificate can be used to buy — the environmental impact of that purchase is probably much bigger than that of the card itself. — Emily Chung

In our callout for greener gifting ideas, some readers suggested gift certificates for things like a show, a restaurant or, more traditionally, a store. Gift cards can be a great last-minute option, and they're very popular — in fact, they were the most popular holiday gift in a recent online survey of Canadians, more than half of whom planned to buy gift cards for their loved ones. But they, too, have an environmental impact. Many gift cards are made of PVC plastic, which is hard to recycle and isn't accepted by most recycling systems. While they're small and slim, their popularity means they add up — in 2014, two billion gift cards were purchased in the U.S. alone, according to an estimate by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Giftrocket, a company that offers e-gift cards, estimates that each physical card contains about five grams of PVC and generates 21 grams of CO2. That means in total, gift cards created 10,000 tonnes of PVC waste and 42,000 tonnes of CO2 in the U.S. alone in 2014. So, what to do? Here are some options:

• Some retailers, like Starbucks and Whole Foods, offer recyclable cardboard gift cards (see above photo).
• Many others offer gift cards that can be printed onto a sheet of paper.
• E-gift cards can be sent via email and printed out or redeemed online or from your phone.
• Some small businesses just keep a note of credit that you can redeem when you get to the store.
• If you have a plastic gift card that you've already spent, you can often reload it and re-gift it to someone else.

If you really want to recycle gift cards after using them and have a way of collecting a big volume, they can be recycled by a company named Terracycle, which specializes in recycling materials that normally aren't recyclable. The company charges $91 to recycle a "small" box (25 x 25 x 46 centimetres) full of plastic cards. Some Canadian municipalities — for example, Strathcona in Alberta and Niagara Region in Ontario — allow people to drop off spent gift cards at certain depots for recycling. (The Municipality of Strathcona uses Terracycle as its gift card recycler.) Whatever you choose to do, think about what the gift card or certificate can be used to buy — the environmental impact of that purchase is probably much bigger than that of the card itself. — Emily Chung

In our callout for greener gifting ideas, some readers suggested gift certificates for things like a show, a restaurant or, more traditionally, a store. Gift cards can be a great last-minute option, and they're very popular — in fact, they were the most popular holiday gift in a recent online survey of Canadians, more than half of whom planned to buy gift cards for their loved ones. But they, too, have an environmental impact. Many gift cards are made of PVC plastic, which is hard to recycle and isn't accepted by most recycling systems. While they're small and slim, their popularity means they add up — in 2014, two billion gift cards were purchased in the U.S. alone, according to an estimate by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Giftrocket, a company that offers e-gift cards, estimates that each physical card contains about five grams of PVC and generates 21 grams of CO2. That means in total, gift cards created 10,000 tonnes of PVC waste and 42,000 tonnes of CO2 in the U.S. alone in 2014. So, what to do? Here are some options: If you really want to recycle gift cards after using them and have a way of collecting a big volume, they can be recycled by a company named Terracycle, which specializes in recycling materials that normally aren't recyclable. The company charges $91 to recycle a "small" box (25 x 25 x 46 centimetres) full of plastic cards. Some Canadian municipalities — for example, Strathcona in Alberta and Niagara Region in Ontario — allow people to drop off spent gift cards at certain depots for recycling. (The Municipality of Strathcona uses Terracycle as its gift card recycler.) Whatever you choose to do, think about what the gift card or certificate can be used to buy — the environmental impact of that purchase is probably much bigger than that of the card itself. — Emily Chung

In our callout for greener gifting ideas, some readers suggested gift certificates for things like a show, a restaurant or, more traditionally, a store. Gift cards can be a great last-minute option, and they're very popular — in fact, they were the most popular holiday gift in a recent online survey of Canadians, more than half of whom planned to buy gift cards for their loved ones. But they, too, have an environmental impact. Many gift cards are made of PVC plastic, which is hard to recycle and isn't accepted by most recycling systems. While they're small and slim, their popularity means they add up — in 2014, two billion gift cards were purchased in the U.S. alone, according to an estimate by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Giftrocket, a company that offers e-gift cards, estimates that each physical card contains about five grams of PVC and generates 21 grams of CO2. That means in total, gift cards created 10,000 tonnes of PVC waste and 42,000 tonnes of CO2 in the U.S. alone in 2014. So, what to do? Here are some options: If you really want to recycle gift cards after using them and have a way of collecting a big volume, they can be recycled by a company named Terracycle, which specializes in recycling materials that normally aren't recyclable. The company charges $91 to recycle a "small" box (25 x 25 x 46 centimetres) full of plastic cards. Some Canadian municipalities — for example, Strathcona in Alberta and Niagara Region in Ontario — allow people to drop off spent gift cards at certain depots for recycling. (The Municipality of Strathcona uses Terracycle as its gift card recycler.) Whatever you choose to do, think about what the gift card or certificate can be used to buy — the environmental impact of that purchase is probably much bigger than that of the card itself. — Emily Chung

In our callout for greener gifting ideas, some readers suggested gift certificates for things like a show, a restaurant or, more traditionally, a store. Gift cards can be a great last-minute option, and they're very popular — in fact, they were the most popular holiday gift in a recent online survey of Canadians, more than half of whom planned to buy gift cards for their loved ones. But they, too, have an environmental impact. Many gift cards are made of PVC plastic, which is hard to recycle and isn't accepted by most recycling systems. While they're small and slim, their popularity means they add up — in 2014, two billion gift cards were purchased in the U.S. alone, according to an estimate by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Giftrocket, a company that offers e-gift cards, estimates that each physical card contains about five grams of PVC and generates 21 grams of CO2. That means in total, gift cards created 10,000 tonnes of PVC waste and 42,000 tonnes of CO2 in the U.S. alone in 2014. So, what to do? Here are some options:

• Some retailers, like Starbucks and Whole Foods, offer recyclable cardboard gift cards (see above photo).
• Many others offer gift cards that can be printed onto a sheet of paper.
• E-gift cards can be sent via email and printed out or redeemed online or from your phone.
• Some small businesses just keep a note of credit that you can redeem when you get to the store.
• If you have a plastic gift card that you've already spent, you can often reload it and re-gift it to someone else.

If you really want to recycle gift cards after using them and have a way of collecting a big volume, they can be recycled by a company named Terracycle, which specializes in recycling materials that normally aren't recyclable. The company charges $91 to recycle a "small" box (25 x 25 x 46 centimetres) full of plastic cards. Some Canadian municipalities — for example, Strathcona in Alberta and Niagara Region in Ontario — allow people to drop off spent gift cards at certain depots for recycling. (The Municipality of Strathcona uses Terracycle as its gift card recycler.) Whatever you choose to do, think about what the gift card or certificate can be used to buy — the environmental impact of that purchase is probably much bigger than that of the card itself. — Emily Chung

The chemistry department of Laflèche College has joined the My Ecolabo program, an eco-responsible laboratory program. In fact, the Laflèche College chemistry laboratory has been showing level 1 Ecolabo certification for a few months.   Laboratory users have already implemented several targeted eco-responsible actions to ensure the maintenance and progression of the certification levels of the program: reduction of electricity consumption, recycling of materials and latex gloves through programs such as Terracycle, replacement of toxic products with ecological substitutes, etc. In addition, membership in the Ecolabo program is reflected in the educational component since the teaching of the eco-responsible and ecological vision is now also done in the classroom.   Orchestrated by a team of eco-leader volunteers from the University of Montreal, the My Ecolabo program aims, a priori, to raise awareness and present the benefits of eco-responsible laboratory practices and to improve laboratory management to make them more sustainable. Through concrete actions, members of the Écolabo program undertake to reduce the ecological impact of the laboratory's activities.

Vaping rubbish is multiplying on our streets and beaches, the latest environment issue to face New Zealanders.   However, a plan is underway to recycle  vape waste, and the companies behind the scheme say recycling it will  be a world first. Petone Beach Clean Up Crew coordinator Lorraine Shaab said the items, including refill bottles and the vapes themselves, were now appearing on Petone shores.   "It's something new that is making it way in to our waterways," she said.   "We have only started to find them this year, 2019."   A partnership between  TerraCycle and  Vapo and Alt New Zealand means used products  can be dropped off at Vapo stores for recycling.     The plan could save millions of pods, e-waste and batteries from ending up in New Zealand's environment.   Vapo and Alt New Zealand co-director Jonathan Devery said the launch would make vaping more environmentally friendly.   "A national litter audit this year found that more than 10 billion cigarette butts pollute New Zealand's ecosystem.   "We don't want to be like the tobacco industry ... we're committed to a smoke-free country and a sustainable future."   Terracycle Australia general manager Jean Bailliard said the national vape recycling program was the first of its kind in the world.   "E-cigarette litter is a growing problem and vapes are extremely hard to recycle due to to the difficulty in separating out the materials."   TerraCycle says it is able to disassemble and separate  the devices into their electrical and metal components, batteries and plastics.   The plastics can be shredded, melted and reused, and the metals and batteries can  be separated and recovered.     "We will reuse, upcycle and recycle the waste instead of incinerating or landfilling it.   "This moves waste from a linear system to a circular one, allowing it to keep cycling in our economy," Bailliard said.   It's the first phase of the programme - next year individuals will be able to send their vaping equipment directly to TerraCycle.   For every kilogram of vaping equipment sent to TerraCycle, Vapo and Alt will donate $1 towards the charity Sustainable Coastlines.