Make sure all old paper £10 notes are spent as new plastic ones take over soon

The clock is ticking for shoppers to use the last of their paper £10 notes as there are just weeks left before they are no longer legal tender.

The Bank of England is urging people to spend their old paper notes before the deadline of March 1, 2018. The paper notes will be accepted in shops and other businesses before the cut-off date and can be exchanged at banks or building societies after the deadline. They are being replaced with the new plastic notes.

A spokesman for TSB bank in Burton told the Burton Mail: "We will be accepting the old paper £10 until the deadline and then we will carry on until further notice, just like the old £1 coins. Anyone with the old coins or notes can still come into a branch and exchange them for a new one."

The paper £10 was first introduced on November 7, 2000, and featured a picture of world-famous biologist Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution.

The new notes are made from polymer, which is deemed to be cleaner, safer and stronger than the paper previously used for the notes.

The Bank of England is set to issue a new polymer £20 note in 2020, but there are currently no plans to make £50 notes plastic.

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So, with all this new money in circulation, what happens to the old paper note?

The Bank of England said: "The majority of old paper notes are already recycled using a composting treatment (as used in the treatment of food waste).

"From 2011, the majority of the Bank’s paper note waste has been recycled in this way and used as a soil improver for agriculture although we are now exploring other options given changes in the industry."

And what about when an old polymer note needs to be replaced?

The Bank of England said: "As composting is not suitable for polymer notes, the Bank commissioned an independent third party to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment study to assess the environmental impacts of different waste treatment options.

"The study was conducted using the international standards, and externally reviewed by a panel of industry experts.

"Recycling proved to be the most favourable option as it comes with the lowest impacts for all the environmental impact indicators considered.

"As a result the Bank has secured a UK-based recycling solution, for polymer notes to be turned into pellets before being transformed into new plastic items such as plant pots."

So, there you have it, the old notes will be soil inside the plant pots made out of the new notes.