A bank has launched a pilot scheme to allow people to recycle expired or unused plastic credit and debit cards in a branch in East Lancashire.

The scheme by Santander will also take place in 27 other branches across the UK, including Bolton, and makes them the first bank in the country to offer plastic recycling machines in their branches for public use.

The self-service machines will allow customers to shred their unwanted card before they are recycled into plastic pellets that can be re-used.

The pilot is expected to last for up to six months before further decisions are made.

Fermin Martinez de Hurtado Yela, head of sustainability and responsible banking at Santander UK, said: “Bank cards are traditionally very difficult to recycle.

“With 92 million debit cards and 60 million credit cards currently in UK circulation, it is a significant challenge and one we want to play our part in helping.”

Santander announced last year that all debit and credit cards in the UK, Spain, Portugal and Poland will be made from sustainable materials by 2025, as part of the bank’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Credit and debit cards often end up in landfill sites where they can take hundreds of years to break down due to being made up of several layers of laminated plastic, metal oxide particles, solvents, ink and a magnetic strip.