Many of you would agree that it’s heartbreaking to see all those used lottery tickets which failed to turn us into millionaires. One consistent thought that crosses the mind whenever we catch the glimpse of a used ticket in a jeans pocket or drawer is, what to do with these bad boys? So today, we did some research and found a few environmental-friendly and creative answers to what to do with used lottery tickets.
In order to apply these tricks, let’s first understand, what are these tickets made of, and whether they are recyclable or not.
Which Lottery Tickets are Recyclable?
A few of the lottery tickets are recyclable, which is indicated on their back with a symbol. If your used lottery tickets have any such symbol on their back, then simply discard them by throwing in the recycling bin.
If your tickets are missing the symbol, then go forth and rip them apart. This trick will help you in determining whether they are entirely composed of paper or any other material. If you notice that they don’t contain plastic or foil, then throw them in the recycling bin as well.
However, If this isn’t the case, then you’ll have to make an extra effort in discarding them in an environmentally-friendly method. Most of the lottery tickets are made from paper, which is covered with either foil or plastic. Unfortunately, none of these materials is recyclable.
In such cases, have a look at your state’s policies. Some of them have used lottery tickets collection programs, where you can submit your tickets and the respective organizations will take care of their environmentally-friendly disposal. Massachusetts is a great example in this regard, where to-date, 50 tons of tickets have been collected and recycled into towels, tissue papers and other such items.
However, if your state isn’t running any recycling program, then we’ve got you covered with these creative and environmentally-friendly methods to discard used lottery tickets:
Creative Methods to Discard Used Lottery Tickets
Used lottery tickets are a great tool to fuel both, your and your children’s creativity. You can use them for various arts and crafts, including, but not limited to origami. You can also use them as creative bookmarks. Let’s delve into this unique art of utilizing used lottery tickets in creative manners.
1. Impress Your Book Club With Creative Bookmarks
Whether you are a bibliophile or a light book-reader, at one point or another, you would have come across a situation where you were forced to stop at a random section. In such cases, most of us hate to turn the corners of our favorite book’s page. To counter this, we are always on a hunt for aesthetically pleasing bookmarks.
Next time, whenever you come across such a situation, use one of your multiple used lottery tickets to mark the section. This will not only save your favorite book’s pages from getting scarred, but it will also discard your used lottery tickets in an environmentally-conscious manner.
If you don’t like the plain vibe of the ticket, then spice it up by drawing patterns through colored markers, or by folding it into creative origami patterns. We are sure, your book club buddies will swoon over these colorful and creative bookmarks.
2. Kids Love Used Lottery Tickets
Do kids around you love to make crafts from paper? Are your credit cards their favorite play toys? Do they like to play games centered around safekeeping?
If yes, then it’s time to utilize all your used lottery tickets in a productive manner. As we mentioned earlier, most of the lottery tickets are made from paper with a foil or plastic cover, which is pretty much similar to a credit card. This means, you can use them as a dupe for your credit cards, whenever kids ask for them.
If your kids love to indulge in games centered around safekeeping, then make them feel important by handing over your used lottery tickets to them. This will enhance their confidence, and they’ll learn to handle responsibilities.
In addition to these ideas, lottery tickets are a great tool to boost your children’s creativity. These tickets are composed of various materials and have different color combinations, which qualify them to be a great art supply. Hand over your used lottery tickets to the kids, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their creative and artistic side.
3. Let Your Artistic Side Determine The Tickets’ Usage
It is said that art comes in numerous forms and used lottery tickets aren’t an exception. If you have any doubt, then pull out those long forgotten used lottery tickets from your drawer and have a look at them. The splatter of color will force you to change your views.
There are multiple artists around the world who have utilized the beauty of these tickets and turned them into masterpieces. The “Dream Car” created by Adam Eckstrom and Lauren Was is a great example in this regard. These two artists are renowned for their artistic masterpieces made out of used lottery tickets under the name of “Ghost of a Dream”.
Does this example compel you to delve into your creative side?
If yes, then let’s have a look at artistic methods to recycle used lottery tickets.
- Turn them into origami, which is a Japanese paper folding technique.
- If you aren’t a fan of your used lottery ticket’s aesthetics, then change them with your favorite colored markers.
- You can also make a wallet from used lottery tickets. This technique, which uses clear tape, is a spin to the classic duct tape one. The used lottery tickets placed between two sheets of clear tape will serve the purpose of hiding the wallet contents.
- You can also use them as gift papers for small presents.
- You can also create environmentally and eco-friendly jewelry from used lottery tickets.
These are some creative and environmentally-friendly answers to what to do with used lottery tickets. Let’s make Earth a better place with less unrecyclable lottery tickets in the thrash bin!
