One More Reason to Say 'No Thanks' to Those Paper Receipts

There's plenty of reasons to opt-out of getting a paper receipt, but the latest news suggests saying 'no' for your health.

Yes, the paper receipt, it used to be a great way to manage your spending (especially if you're using a debit or credit card), you'll need one if you need to return an item, and for businesses expenses, you have to save them...

But for every day purchases, you may want to say no to those receipts, and for multiple reasons. First of all the clutter it can create. Do you really throw away the receipt as soon as you get home? As soon as you check it and make sure you got the items on sale at the right price? Most of the time they end up on the counter or in a basket, and Deb Cabral the DeClutter Coach, mentions this is one of the ways clutter starts piling up in your house.

Second of all, it's wasteful if you don't need it. Most banking happens almost instantly, where you can check your account and see how much you spent somewhere. If it's a credit card (or isn't instant), take a photo of your total, or write it down. Why get a piece of paper, two-feet-long, that you're never going to actually look at, besides for the total?

Lastly, and the most important reason, is for your health. According to Eco Center, many receipts have the chemicals Bisphenol-A (BPA) and/or Bisphenol-S (BPS). You probably heard of the dangers of BPA, and how many plastic products now advertise they're "BPA-free." That's because BPA causes many problems in the body. Eco Center says,

...It’s been banned in baby bottles and sippy cups because it’s a known hormone disruptor. It is linked to female and male infertility, early puberty, breast and prostate cancers, as well as metabolic disorders. It’s been voluntarily removed from some food can linings as well...

But that's BPA... What about BPS? Well, according to Eco Center, the two are "chemical cousins," and BPS could be just as bad as BPA. A lot of companies moved from using BPA and replaced it with BPS.

So what should you do? Just be on the defense. You don't have to be paranoid about getting sick or having issues because of paper receipts, but you can be a little cautious. If you don't need the receipt, don't get it. If you don't have a choice or you need to keep the receipt, fold it in half with the printed side on the inside. Keep it in a separate plastic bag, or a side pocket in your wallet (but only put receipts in there). It's also a good idea to wash your hands after handling receipts if you're worried about the chemicals that may be present.

Not ALL receipts contain BPA and/or BPS. Actually, as more information is becoming available on these chemicals (and their dangers), many businesses are opting out for other paper that doesn't contain those chemicals.