Gift Cards for Trees

Ok, so now you know how to recycle your used gift cards, but what about the gift cards you will never use? You could of course, re-gift them to someone else, but you could also donate them to Gift Cards for Trees. Here's an explanation of how it all works from The Budget Eco-ist...


You get an unwanted gift card, say it's for Outback Steakhouse and you just gave up red meat. But instead of letting it expire, as so many gift cards do, you mail in your $25 gift card to Gift Cards for Trees, then they'll plant trees through the organization American Forests! The amount planted varies by the amount of each donation, for example cards with balances of $21-40 will plant 7-14 trees. As a bonus, depending on the value of the cards, donors get different amounts of Earth-friendly treats in return, like organic snacks, lapel message buttons made from recycled materials, and more. Cards with balances less than $21 are still accepted but are added together to make balances high enough to buy trees.

So how does Gift Cards for Trees get money for the gift cards? Basically, they resell them for market value to people who do want them. Giving away a gift card or two or three may not immediately make sense to budget-conscious ecoists--why would you give up the opportunity for free merchandise? But as the "how-to" video explains at the end, as it shows the star popping her gift card in the mail, "You've just made a donation without spending a single cent." Hey! Now they're playing your song. That's helpful and thrifty!