| With the massive growth of the greetings card | | | | it much easier to process the cards at the paper |
| industry over the last few years, the card buying | | | | mill. The cards are then taking to a recycling plant |
| public have a moral obligation to recycle as many | | | | for sorting. Usually they will be put over a sorting |
| of these greeting cards as possible. By doing so | | | | conveyor where they will be manually sorted and |
| they will help the environment and at the same | | | | any non paper items removed. |
| time hopefully alter their mind set towards | | | | After sorting, the greetings cards are compacted |
| recycling. | | | | up into large bales and stacked waiting to be |
| Greetings cards are traditionally displayed for | | | | transported to the paper mill. When there are |
| several days up to and after the event that they | | | | enough to make a full load, they are loaded onto |
| are celebrating. In the past when the event is | | | | a vehicle and taken away for recycling. On arrival |
| over, the greeting cards were simply gathered up | | | | at the paper mills, the bales of cards are |
| and thrown into the trash. Now however there is | | | | inspected to check that they are of the correct |
| a trend to try and recycle these cards where | | | | quality. If the load is accepted, the bales are |
| ever possible. | | | | unloaded and turned back into paper pulp. |
| The cards should be taken to your local recycling | | | | A bale has its wires cut and is placed on a |
| point and sent to the paper mills for recycling. | | | | conveyor and sent into the pulping machine. During |
| Most shopping malls now have paper recycling bins | | | | the pulping process all non paper items are sieved |
| and it is easy to put the cards into one of these | | | | out of the material and the rest is turned into |
| bins when you go shopping. | | | | pulp. The pulp then has all of the water removed |
| Before taking the cards to be recycled you should | | | | and is then ready to be used again. Most pulp |
| check them and remove anything on the cards | | | | from recycled greetings cards is turned into toilet |
| that cannot be recycled. If any of the greetings | | | | paper. |
| cards are musical cards, you should tear off any | | | | When you are next out shopping, have a look at |
| bits of metal before recycling the card. The paper | | | | the toilet paper in the shops and look to see |
| mills also do not like cards with lots of glitter on | | | | which brands are made from recycled paper. It is |
| them; their sieves become blocked when trying | | | | quite possible that some of them have been |
| to recycle these cards. | | | | made from the process of recycling your |
| When you get to the recycling bin, you should | | | | greetings cards. |
| remove any plastic from the cards as this makes | | | | |