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Gift Card Recycling

Some people are hard to borderline impossible to shop for. Those people get gift cards- and enough of them that they do not end up spending them all. In some cases these gift cards expire after a certain period of time. In other cases, the store that issued them has gone out of business. And in still other cases, the amount is low enough you do not even want to bother.

Then there are the people who will use their gift cards simply because they like to save a couple of bucks on the stuff that they really need or want. For these people, the gift card is like a valuable coupon. But, have you ever wondered what happens to the gift card once you return it to the store? Sure, there are those that are reloadable and more money can be put onto it, but they are often just used once and then tossed away. Where do the used gift cards go? More and more locations are sending them to recyclers so that they can be saved from going to the landfill.

What type of background is necessary?

It would be beneficial to have knowledge of the recycling business especially where it pertains to plastics recycling. An ability to reach out to major businesses to address their need to recycle these gift cards is also important as well.

What makes this business concept green?

First, it is stopping a potentially harmful item (plastics) from making it to the landfills. Plastic is not biodegradable at all and can leach harmful chemicals and dyes into the water supply. Safe and effective recycling eliminates a major source of the nation's trash accumulation.

Who is the targeted audience?

Any company, big or small who offers and accepts gift cards in any capacity would benefit from a gift card recycler. The more concentrated that these types of businesses are in an area, or the larger that the companies are, the more of a need there will be.

What are the risks?

Some of the larger stores may have their own policy for how they handle the recycling of the gift cards and would not allow it to be done at the local level. If you were counting on this one big box retailer for the bulk of your business you might be faced with the realization that the local managers must adhere to corporate policy.

Who is the competition?

Each area and company will be different. In some areas, there will be limited competition while in others you may have to compete with the companies own recycling policies.

Where can you start this business?

The business can be located wherever there would be enough stores that offer and accept gift cards, as long as they do not have their own recycling services in place for them.

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