This week, I received my new good-for-three-years Nova Scotia health card. Except for the expiry date, it is identical to its predecessor. I must now, like thousands of others, dispose of the old card, sending more and more plastic to our landfills.
Is there not a better way? These cards wait in our wallets to be taken out for appointments but could remain perfectly intact, probably until doomsday! Surely, as we consider ways to cut back on plastic, could we not introduce a sticker (like on our licence plates) to at least extend the life of this card — that is, if no other changes are necessary? Or at least could it not be a five-year card like our driver’s licence?
Gift cards are similar, but are at least a choice. It is very sad — although some can be reloaded now — that most gift cards are single-use plastic to be tossed into the garbage after use. This year, a restaurant I patronized for gifts has given up on paper certificates and has succumbed to plastic.
Surely our provincial government can help cut back the waste by designing a new health-care card system.
Sharon Nicolle, Halifax
