What to Do With Old PVC Cards and How to Reduce Waste
Every school semester, a hiring surge and facility-access updates create stacks of ID cards — most of which end up in desk drawers or the trash. With billions of PVC cards produced annually, the waste adds up fast.
The good news is that simple changes to your card program can cut waste significantly. You don’t need a complete overhaul; small adjustments to how you protect cards, when you print them and how you dispose of old ones make a real difference.
Why PVC Cards Create a Disposal Problem
Standard ID cards are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the same material used in pipes and vinyl siding. PVC is durable, which makes it great for daily use. That same durability creates challenges at the end of life.
Most curbside recycling programs won’t accept PVC cards. The cards are too small and lightweight to sort properly. They slip through sorting equipment and contaminate other recycling streams.
When PVC ends up in landfills, it can release harmful compounds over time. The volume matters too. Even small organizations issuing a few hundred cards annually contribute to this total.
3 Ways to Reduce Card Waste Before It Starts
The best waste is the waste you never create. These strategies help your cards last longer so you print fewer replacements.
Add Lamination for Long-Term Protection
Laminated cards last two to five times longer than unprotected cards. The thin protective layer shields against scratches, fading and water damage for just pennies per card.
Cards with lamination stand up to daily handling. They survive going through washing machines (though we don’t recommend testing this). Photos and barcodes stay readable for years instead of months.
Two lamination options exist. Traditional overlaminates are added during printing by printers with lamination modules. Adhesive laminates are applied by hand after printing. Adhesive laminates work well when you want to protect cards already in circulation without reprinting everything.
For organizations on tight budgets, adhesive laminates offer protection without the cost of upgrading to a lamination-capable printer. For high-volume programs printing hundreds or thousands of cards, built-in lamination saves significant staff time.
Use Protective Badge Holders
Badge holders act as a barrier between your card and keys, coins, scanners and everything else cards encounter daily. Cards kept in holders avoid scratches, bends and edge wear that trigger replacement requests.
Open-faced holders work well for cards used indoors in controlled environments. Enclosed holders provide maximum protection for cards that see heavy use or outdoor exposure. Rigid plastic holders prevent the bending and snapping that happens when cards live in back pockets.
The small upfront cost of holders pays off quickly: One avoided reprint justifies the expense. Cards that last longer mean fewer replacement requests, less staff time spent on reprints and lower supply costs.
Store and Handle Cards Properly
How cards are stored before printing affects print quality and card lifespan. Keep blank cards in original packaging until you’re ready to use them. This protects them from dust, humidity and temperature fluctuations.
When handling cards during printing, touch only the edges. Oils from fingers create problems during printing and can cause premature wear. Store printed cards in a cool, dry location away from direct sunlight.
Train anyone who uses your printer on proper handling. Ten minutes of training can prevent waste from damaged cards, misprints and equipment problems.
Print-on-Demand vs. Bulk Printing: The Waste Tradeoffs
The timing of when you print cards affects waste in different ways.
Bulk printing seems efficient. You set up the printer once and produce cards for an entire semester or hiring class. But this approach creates waste when information changes. Job titles get updated, people leave before their cards are issued and photos become outdated.
Print-on-demand reduces this waste. You print cards only when needed with current information. No boxes of pre-printed cards with wrong departments or outdated expiration dates. The downside is more frequent printer setup and supply changes.
For most organizations, a hybrid approach works best. Print in smaller batches aligned with actual need. A school might print student IDs in groups by grade level over several days instead of all 3,000 at once. An HR department might print weekly as new hires complete onboarding rather than monthly in anticipation of future hires.
This approach balances efficiency with accuracy. You still benefit from batch printing workflow but avoid creating cards that may never be used or quickly become obsolete.
Consider Rewritable Cards for Temporary Use
Rewritable cards offer a sustainable option for visitor badges, temporary access and other short-term applications. These cards have a special coating that can be printed and erased up to 500 times using compatible printers.
One side of a rewritable card typically has a permanent color design with your logo and branding. The other side can be updated repeatedly with names, dates and access information. No ribbon is needed for the rewritable portion, which reduces supply waste.
Rewritable cards make sense when you issue many temporary credentials. A facility with frequent contractors, a school with daily visitors or a conference center with rotating events can reuse the same physical cards hundreds of times.
The cards cost more upfront than standard PVC, but the per-use cost drops significantly over time. They work well alongside your regular card program for specific use cases.
What to Do With Old and Expired Cards
When cards reach the end of life, disposal requires thought. Security and environmental concerns both matter.
Secure Destruction First
Never throw cards with personal information or access credentials directly in the trash. Cut or shred cards to destroy any data, photos and encoded information first.
For cards with magnetic stripes, cutting through the stripe ensures the data can't be read. For smart cards or proximity cards with embedded chips, physical destruction is critical. A strong pair of scissors works for small quantities. Consider a dedicated card shredder for larger volumes.
This step protects individual privacy and organizational security. Even deactivated access cards shouldn’t be readable by someone who finds them.
Limited Recycling Options Exist
True recycling of PVC cards remains challenging but some options are emerging.
Some companies offer mail-in programs for PVC card recycling. These programs work best when organizations pool cards with neighbors or departments to fill return boxes economically.
Some financial institutions now collect expired payment cards for recycling through in-branch collection boxes. The cards are shredded securely in the box, then sent to specialized recyclers who separate materials and create plastic pellets for new products.
Check with your card manufacturer about any take-back programs they offer. Some organizations are beginning to pilot collection programs, though they’re not yet widespread.
Reduce Future Waste
The most sustainable approach is designing your card program to minimize replacement needs from the start.
Set realistic expiration dates. A five-year expiration on an employee card may create unnecessary reprints if average tenure is 18 months. A one-year expiration on a student card may be too frequent if the card holds up well with proper protection.
Standardize photo requirements and data formats. Clear guidelines reduce misprints that create immediate waste. Document what information goes on cards, what photos are acceptable and how data should be formatted.
Keep your printer well-maintained. Regular cleaning prevents print defects that require card reprints. Replace ribbons and cleaning supplies on schedule. A well-maintained printer produces consistent results and fewer rejected cards.
Small Changes Add Up
You don’t need to overhaul your entire card program to reduce waste. Start with one change that fits your situation.
Add lamination to your next supply order. Stock badge holders for distribution with new cards. Adjust your print schedule to smaller, more frequent batches. Collect old cards for recycling instead of tossing them individually.
Each adjustment reduces the number of cards produced, extends the life of cards in use and ensures cards at end of life are handled responsibly. These changes save money while reducing environmental impact.
The organizations that manage waste best treat it as an ongoing priority, not a one-time project. Review your card program annually. Look at how many reprints you issue and why. Track where waste occurs and address the biggest sources first.
Your ID card program serves critical security and operational needs. Making it more sustainable doesn’t require compromising those needs. It requires thoughtful choices about protection, timing and disposal that serve both your organization and the environment.
