This year alone printers are printing and distributing an estimated 1 BILLION paper valentines and Valentine’s Day cards. We know what happens to these gorgeous pieces on Valentine’s Day. But what happens after?
Most of them will find their way to a trash can. Practical, but we knew there had to be a more environmentally friendly solution. So we dropped a line to our friends on Facebook and Twitter asking them how they recycled their Valentine’s Day cards after printing, and this is what they said:
1) Drop them in the recycling bin. If you live anywhere with a recycling center, there’s a place to recycle your paper goods. If you don’t have your own bin, you know someone who does. (If nothing else, pick up the phone and call your friendly local printing company!)
2) Use them as decorations for your next scrapbooking project.
3) Glue the pictures to a picture frame and make a present for your Valentine!
4) Make them into ornaments for your Christmas/Valentine’s Day tree. One of our Tweeps took them and added a piece of their kids’ hair for a fun momento to last for generations!
5) Pop them in a box and let the kids use them for their art projects. Definitely saves on buying stickers…
6) Turn the front of your card into a postcard and reach out and touch someone!
7) Pair them with pictures for a fun memory book. Kids come home with piles of these each year. Take a pic of each classmate and match it up with their valentine. It’ll be a great memory later on, and these books can travel from year to year.
8) String the cards on a ribbon and make a Valentine’s Day garland for next year!
Join us on Facebook for more ideas on how to recycle your valentines for a green, environmentally friendly Valentine’s Day!