Green Daily

Gift cards have been growing in popularity year after year. They are convenient to purchase and they easily slip into a wallet. Giving a gift card is one way to ensure that a recipient gets something that they really want. I hadn't given much thought though to the millions of gift cards that end up in the trash until I read about Target's new biodegradable plastic gift cards.

These cards are made out of a new material called Mirel that falls under the umbrella of "bioplastics." Bioplastics are made without the use of petroleum but rather vegetable sugars or oils. Though more costly than petroleum products, the market for bioplastics is growing and anything made out of Mirel can be tossed directly into your compost pile.

There are some drawbacks to bioplastics including the amount of carbon monoxide emitted during manufacturing and the amount of water and petroleum needed to grow the source vegetation. However, it's nice to see big retailers putting some thought into reducing petroleum consumption and landfill space.

[via Green Living Tips]