Can you recycle receipts?

Thermal receipt paper carries a coating of bisphenol A or its replacement bisphenol S, which develops the image under heat rather than ink. Recycling that paper carries the bisphenol into the recycled pulp, and from there into products such as food packaging and tissue. Several recyclers reject thermal paper outright for this reason. You can identify it by scratching the printed side with a fingernail: thermal paper leaves a dark line, ordinary printed paper does not. Thermal receipts also should not be composted.

What goes wrong

• Bisphenol contaminates recycled pulp and carries into food-contact paper.
• Composting spreads the coating into soil.

What to do instead

• Ask for a digital or emailed receipt where offered.
• Put thermal receipts in general waste.
• Ordinary ink-printed receipts on plain paper can be recycled normally.

Other "can you recycle" questions

• Can you recycle pizza boxes? It depends — Clean parts yes, grease-soaked parts no — tear the box and bin the oily half.
• Can you recycle plastic bags? It depends — Not in kerbside bins. They need a store drop-off point that takes soft plastic film.
• Can you recycle batteries? It depends — Yes, but only at a collection point. Batteries in a kerbside bin start fires.
• Can you recycle styrofoam? No — Effectively no. Almost no kerbside service takes it, and food-soiled foam never qualifies.
• Can you recycle coffee cups? It depends — Not in ordinary paper recycling — the plastic lining needs a specialist facility.
• Can you recycle shredded paper? It depends — Often not loose — short fibres fall through the sorting screens. Bag it or check locally.

Kerbside recycling rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always beat general guidance. Check your own collection service before assuming any material is accepted.