Santander is launching a recycling initiative in select branches across the UK, allowing customers to dispose of expired or unused plastic cards in an environmentally friendly way.
The six-month pilot program features specialized self-service machines that shred unwanted cards into over one hundred small pieces. These shredded pieces are then transformed into plastic pellets, which can be repurposed for future use.
The bank highlights the recycling difficulties associated with credit and debit cards, which are composed of multiple layers of laminated plastic, metal oxide particles, solvents, inks, and magnetic strips, making the recycling process particularly complex.
Fermín Martínez de Hurtado Yela, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Banking at Santander UK, stated, “Recycling bank cards has traditionally posed significant challenges. With 92 million debit cards and 60 million credit cards currently in circulation in the UK, addressing this issue is important, and we are committed to being part of the solution.”
In line with its sustainability goals, Banco Santander announced last year its commitment to ensuring that by 2025, all debit and credit cards issued in the UK, Spain, Portugal, and Poland will be made from sustainable materials.