A Reddit user who was shopping duty-free at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, shared a post lamenting the length of the receipt they received.
What happened?
The original poster shared a photo on the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit showing a receipt that was as long as their forearm.
They wrote, "Receipt I got in the airport after buying 1 single chocolate. It should be illegal to waste that amount of paper. The whole receipt is so long that it does not fit the lengths of my arm."
Fellow Reddit users were appalled, but not surprised, by the receipt's length.
"What a waste of paper," one person commented.
Another Redditor added, "That's insane."
Why is this receipt's length concerning?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, consumers generated 67.4 million tons of paper and paperboard waste in 2018. Of that, landfills received 17.2 million tons.
All of that paper waste has a significant impact on the environment, from its creation to its discarding.
Creating paper requires a ton of resources, including trees, energy, and water, which contribute to increased pollution that heats the planet, habitat loss, and deforestation. When paper is wasted, as with the printing of arm-length receipts, the resources used to make that paper are squandered, further exacerbating environmental strain.
Receipts like this one are most often tossed into the trash, too, which means they end up in landfills where they decompose and release even more carbon pollution, worsening the problem.
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While the company name on the receipt is Gebr. Heinemann, a company that runs duty-free shops in airports, on cruise ships, and more, this company is far from the only one that prints extra-long receipts. Some people in the Reddit post's comments thought, at first glance, the receipt was from CVS, which is well-known for having incredibly long receipts.
It's also unknown whether this is a common issue across Heinemann duty-free shops or is specific to this location.
While The Cool Down couldn't find any specific actions taken regarding receipts, Heinemann has made numerous sustainability commitments on its website.
The company is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, an initiative for responsible corporate governance. It is also a member of the Science Based Targets Initiative, a partnership among several organizations that aims to help private-sector organizations set science-based pollution-reduction targets.
The company's 2024 Annual Report stated that it had reduced its pollution output for Scopes 1 and 2 by 50% compared to 2019 through green energy and new heating systems. The company also began focusing on reducing pollution within its supply chain, particularly its shipping practices.
What can I do to help reduce paper waste?
One of the best ways to reduce paper waste is by recycling as many paper products as possible. While it may not be possible to recycle every piece of paper that comes through a household, most recycling centers accept mixed paper, newspapers, and paper packaging.
Making simple product swaps in a household can also help. Instead of using paper plates, you can switch to regular plates. When it comes to toilet paper, several companies offer recycled or bamboo options. Meanwhile, reusable napkins and cloth towels can replace paper napkins and paper towels.
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