Every year in Italy, around 20,000 tons of thermal paper are used to produce receipts. This is a huge volume that brings with it a recurring doubt in household waste sorting: should they be disposed of in paper recycling or in general waste?
Receipts are technically recyclable with paper, but the presence of phenols in thermal paper - not only Bisphenol A, already banned, but also Bisphenol S, still frequently used - has historically discouraged their disposal in paper recycling.
What is changing today is the arrival of a new generation of phenol-free thermal papers, certified by Aticelca as recyclable, and recognizable thanks to the trademark registered by Assografici: “RECYCLE ME WITH PAPER – PHENOL-FREE”, printed directly on the back of the receipt.
This shift is already a reality in some retail chains across Italy, such as Esselunga and Grom, which not only use receipts made from certified recyclable thermal paper in their stores, but also now display the Assografici label to ensure clear recognition:
“The label, linked to the use of papers certified according to the Aticelca method, introduces an immediately recognizable standard and helps eliminate uncertainty in the disposal of receipts,” comments Roberto Di Molfetta, General Director of Comieco. “The spread of this solution will now depend on increasingly widespread adoption by retailers and industry operators.”
Maurizio D’Adda, Director of Assografici, emphasizes how this development represents an important step forward both environmentally and in terms of clarity for consumers, promoting more effective separate waste collection and higher-quality paper recycling.
“We thank the converters, such as Mara Cartotecnica and ErreBi, who have decided to adopt our label and offer it to their clients: their collaboration, along with that of all our member converters, will be essential to steer the market toward the rapid adoption of only recyclable thermal papers.”
