Finally! Whole Foods has recently instituted a way to avoid receiving paper receipts via their app. Each register has a QR code display that helps customers sign up. They can still receive receipts via email and on their app.
Why is this important?
Cash register receipts use 3,680,000 trees and 10 billion gallons of water every year in the US. Production and disposal of receipt paper generates unnecessary waste and emits the carbon equivalent of over 471,000 cars on the road.
An estimated 93 percent of paper receipts are made of “thermal” paper and are coated with Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Bisphenol-S (BPS), endocrine-disruptors that are linked to fetal development issues, reproductive impairment, type 2 diabetes, thyroid conditions, and other health concerns. The amount of BPA on a receipt is up to 1,000 times greater than BPA in a plastic bottle or food can, according to the Environmental Working Group.
Dispose of any paper receipts in the regular trash bin instead of the recycle bin–recycling centers do not want thermal paper.
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