Day after day, many customers of the Sparkasse and other banks make a big mistake all over Germany. Your actions are actually forbidden. Not only that, it’s also very polluting and wasteful. But one after anonther.
It’s about your bank card. At some point the time will come and the date printed or stamped on it will expire. Then what do you do with it? How do you properly dispose of them? One thing is certain: the Sparkasse and Co. card must not simply be thrown away.
Sparkasse and Co: Do not dispose of expired bank cards in the household waste!
Everyone knows it: At some point the bank card will become invalid and then you will get a new one. And that happens every few years. Many customers then take the easy route and throw the used chip card in the trash can. But you shouldn’t make it that easy for yourself.
The expired and no longer valid giro or credit card does not belong in the household waste – not even in the yellow bin. Because this is forbidden and can even be punished with a fine. But what should you do with your bank cards that you no longer need?
How to properly dispose of your card
Since bank cards contain a microchip, they count as electronic devices according to the law and therefore also as electronic waste. They have to be disposed of accordingly, explains Margit Schneider, Head of Payment Card Security Management at EURO Kartensysteme. That means: not in the household waste, but rather to the collection point for electronic devices.
You can find them at your local recycling center, for example. You can get further information on this from the responsible administration of the city or municipality. The background is that through the correct waste disposal, the recyclable materials can be reused and not simply burned.
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However, one thing is important when you throw away your old bank card. You should cut them as small as possible beforehand so that the data on them cannot be misused by third parties. Simply cut into thin snippets with good scissors. “Please take care to destroy the chip and magnetic strip and to make all readable personal data such as name, IBAN, credit card number and security code unrecognizable,” says Schneider. (with dpa)
