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Credit and cash cards are usually made from a mixture of resin and plastic
which does not degrade, so they hang around in landfills for many years. But now
Inter Bio Cards of Switzerland has come up with a material for making
biodegradable cards (WO 00/48121). First, water reeds are crushed and the fibres
are squeezed through an endless screw. Then the mush is mixed with adhesive and
a plasticiser, and dried it to form granules from which manufacturers can mould
cards. The biocards survive normal use, but rot and disappear when discarded.