It's Time to Recycle Expired Credit Cards
In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau did a survey involving credit cards. This study showed that there were 173 million cardholders in the United States, and the bureau projected growth to reach 181 million in 2010. That's a lot of cardholders, but that doesn't count how many cards each holder has. A further study revealed that by 2010 there would be 1.7 billion credit cards in the United States. This stack of cards would be over 377,000 feet high reaching out beyond orbital space. While fantastic, this in and of itself might not be a problem, but all 1.7 billion cards will expire requiring the production of more every day. This creates a lot of waste.
So why do credit cards expire? The two most commonly cited reasons by banks and credit card companies are fraud protection and the decay of the magnetic strip. In the past these reasons might have been valid, however in today's economy there are many layers of fraud protection beyond the expiration date and the magnetic strip isn't taking such a beating due to online purchases. In the past the average life of a magnetic strip was three years, however today it is possible that cards are expiring years before the strip would cease functioning. This would mean that it might be in the issuer's best interest, as well as the Earth's, to extend the expiration date or even remove it altogether. That is if they are being honest about why cards expire.
The Real Reasons Why Credit Cards Constantly Expire
Many watchdog groups focusing on credit card issuers suggest alternative reasons for early expiration dates. These include:
- Update user's personal information for marketing purposes
- Reconnect with cardholders to sell new services
- Remind users they have a credit line if unused
Robert Manning, author of Credit Card Nation also adds, “When you get a notice from your card company, it's rarely good news. This is a point of contact that triggers a positive response from the consumer.” So it would appear that the functionality of the card might not be the leading reason for expiring credit cards.
The credit card itself isn't the only problem. Each card must be produced, and this process also impacts the environment. The core of a credit card is made from polyvinyl chloride covered in layers of laminated plastic. The core resin is mixed with dyes and other plastics to alter its appearance and consistency. Heat and pressure is then applied to these substances to create a card. Printing is then done using inks and dyes, and the magnetic strip is applied. At this point branding would occur depending on who the card issuer is.
What this boils down to is a lot of chemicals and energy going into a process that might not be necessary in order for your credit card company to have an excuse to call you during dinner. And now they are going to do again 1.7 billion times over the next few years. So while the existence and disposal of all of these cards is an environmental concern, the manufacturing of them might be bigger.
Suggested Methods For Disposing Of Expired Credit Cards
So what can we do about this? The manufacturing process is complicated and surely streamlined over the years to a point where the expense in changing it would cause resistance in the companies that actually produce the physical card. This must be addressed, but let's get the low hanging fruit first and save some atmosphere today. We must find a way to recycle the existing credit cards.
Currently, expired credit card holders are instructed to cut old cards into pieces then throw away the bits in different places. This is a great way to protect the identity of the card holder, but again if we do this a few billion times we have shredded plastic all the way to the moon. Recycled credit cards would offer back to the manufacturers a never ending supply of material to make new cards with, and would hopefully cut down on the amount of new plastic being produced.
And how could this be done? The easiest way would be to have a business reply envelope go out with each new credit card requesting the old one be returned. The return could occur after the new card was activated, making the old card useless and less likely to be targeted by thieves. Once the issuer has the old card, return it to the manufacturer for recycling. There would be an investment needed here, but if life on Earth isn't enough motivation then the savings in raw materials over time might be.
Remember if we had only cut the need for card production by one-third since the last census study, that would have been over 500 million less cards produced since 2006. Forecast this over the near future and take into account the reduction in new plastic creation and we are on our way to a greener credit card.
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