How to recycle plastic credit and debit cards

Take a quick look in your wallet… if you’re like most Australians, you’ll be carrying plastic cards to access your bank, loyalty programs, libraries, festival rides, clubs and sporting facilities and so much more. When it comes to payment cards alone, the average Australian adult carries at least 3 (and often more) payment cards in their wallet, as well as all the ID and access cards we need to make our lives easier.

While small in size, these cards contribute to a big problem — plastic waste that is hard to recycle and almost always ends up in landfills.

As cards are replaced due to expiration, damage, or upgrades, most are destroyed and thrown away.

So why aren’t credit cards recyclable? 

Credit cards are hard to recycle because they are made of multiple materials and are small in size. Kerbside recycling services often don’t accept credit cards, as sorting and processing the different components usually costs more than the value of the end recycled materials. 

Credit and debit cards are primarily made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a plastic known for its strength and resistance to degradation. These cards can also be embedded with a metal strip and microchips. 

Without large-scale recycling solutions, they accumulate in drawers or landfills, adding to Australia’s growing waste crisis.

How does TerraCycle recycle payment cards?

While kerbside recyclers may not accept payment cards, TerraCycle does! 

In 2024, TerraCycle offered a recycling program for Woolworths in New Zealand, as it transitioned away from the Countdown brand. Customers could drop off their old cards in collection boxes in Countdown supermarkets, secure in the knowledge that it would be recycled by TerraCycle. 

And in an Australian first, TerraCycle has partnered with People First Bank to provide card recycling. As old cards expire or require an upgrade, People First Bank customers no longer have to cut them up and throw them away, they can simply drop them off at their local branch to be sent to TerraCycle for recycling. 

The cards will be shredded to protect cardholders’ information, and this shredded waste will be sent to one of TerraCycle’s Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF). All materials are shredded into small pieces. Metals are sorted, smelted, and formed for use in secondary metals manufacturing. The resulting metal ingots, rods, and bars are used to manufacture new products such as cans, frames, nuts, and bolts. Plastics are cleaned if necessary and mixed with other similar plastics to make recycled plastic blends, which are used to manufacture products such as lumber and sheeting.

Reach out to our team at anzsales@terracycle.com to learn more about card recycling and partnership opportunities.