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RecoCard Recycling PVC gift cards
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he UK market for PVC gift and store cards is worth £5.6 billion a year and growing. Around two billion are produced each year - equivalent to 2,500 tonnes. Most cards are redeemed in store and thrown away, where they end up in landfill and don’t biodegrade.
separated from the cardboard carriers and sorted into material types.
While alternative plastic and cardboard options are available, the majority of cards are made from PVC, a readilyrecyclable material. The lifecycle of a typical gift or store card tends to be short and some don’t even reach stores as branding or marketing offers change. This redundant or out-of-date stock is invariably left sitting in warehouses.
The PVC cards were reprocessed by Berkshire based RPCS, an accredited Recovinyl recycler, into granules to make irrigation pipes. As well as providing employment for low-skilled workers, the scheme proved that PVC store cards can be recycled successfully and prevented 10 tonnes of plastic being landfilled. Next steps
Recognising the disposal challenge, Jellyfish Livewire, a Hampshire-based digital marketing agency and gift card producer, decided to explore the creation of what is now RecoCard a takeback scheme and specialist recycling system as part of their Green Gift Card initiative.
Having proved the concept, investment in infrastructure is the next step. This includes a collection hub for PVC cards, including those redeemed in store, near to the recycler so that material can be transferred in bulk loads to minimise transport costs.
The PVC gift card recycling trial
The scheme could be extended to other types of cards, such as loyalty cards and hotel key cards. Support from the retail industry is vital for the scheme to grow and succeed. Manufacturers, brand owners and retailers can contact Graham Lycett at
The trial partners involved Jellyfish Livewire, retailer B&Q, RPCS (Rubber Plastic Collection Service) a specialist recycler and resource recovery specialists Axion Consulting. B&Q had a stock of approximately one million old and out-of-date cards. The cards, a mixture of PVC and PETG, arrived at Jellyfish Livewire’s premises on 25 pallets where they were manually
Jellyfish Livewire on 01794 725480 for more information