Reduce, Re-use, Recycle - greetings cards

I think I may be getting through to people on my greeting card views. I managed to only get a couple this year.
I stopped sending cards myself years ago because they seemed to me to be a waste of money and natural resources. Looking at the statistics, the USA produces about 7 Billion cards a year and the UK around 2 Billion (a BBC article says 2.6, the Greeting card association (GCA) say over 1.5) We recycle less than half of our paper waste both in the UK and the USA so that means potentially around 5 Billion cards and envelopes end up in landfills every year!

Reduce!
Greeting cards have no real purpose other than to let someone know you are thinking of them but there are so many other ways to do that which are more personal and effective.
The phrase "You are off/on my Xmas card list" is a familiar one and working through a list is all this ritual has become for a lot of people like a virus ridden computer sending out meaningless messages to all your contacts. If you have a Christmas card list, instead of spending an evening writing your name on a stack of cards, why not spend that time making phone calls or sending emails instead? you'll not only be saving the planet but actually making a social connection with people too.

Re-use
If you have received cards this year, why not try of think of ways to re-use them. For example cut them down to use as tags on Xmas gifts by cutting them into square or rectangular shapes and punching holes in the corners for string or ribbon or to make home made cards to send to people on your list.

Recycle
We still don't recycle enough of our household waste, so please remember to put old cards and envelopes in the relevant recycling bins.


I was hoping that all this money being spent on wasted paper might be helping charities but according the the GCA the UK greeting card industry is worth over £1.7 Billion annually and Charities estimate that £50m is raised for good causes through the sales of charity Christmas cards. So OK, £50 million is a lot of money, but out of a total of £1,700 million (it seems everyone is using the American billion now) that's only 2.9%