Environmentally friendly theatre

On buying a ticket at The Alma Tavern Theatre in Bristol this evening, I was presented with a laminated plastic ticket and asked to hand it back on the way out. Why hasn't anyone had this idea before? Not only does it have the obvious advantage of not condemning a truck-load of trees to the box office, but it also means it doesn't knock around in a handbag for three months afterwards. The only downside is now I don't have anything to wrap unwanted chewing-gum in when that inevitable decomposition begins to take place just after the interval.