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awpoon

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This year, following the Australians who first introduced it in 1988, the Canadian government will be replacing paper money with plastic money, which, amongst other things, last longer and are better for taxpayers.



Canada is trading in its paper currency for plastic. No, not credit cards, actual plastic money.



Sometime late in 2011, the Bank of Canada will replace the nation's traditional cotton-and-paper bank notes with currency made from a synthetic polymer. Canada will purchase its plastic money from a company in Australia, one of nearly two dozen countries where plastic currency is already in circulation.



Plastic money lasts anywhere from two to five times longer than paper money, performs better in vending machines, and is harder to counterfeit. And unlike paper currency, plastic money doesn't shed tiny bits of ink and dust that can disable ATMs by confusing their optical readers.



Plastic money also stays cleaner and becomes less grubby than paper money, because the non-porous surface doesn't absorb perspiration, body oils, or liquids. In fact, the plastic money is virtually waterproof, so the bills won't be ruined if they are left in a pocket by mistake and end up in the washing machine. Actually, plastic money can take a lot of abuse. You can bend and twist plastic currency without damaging it.



The new plastic money is also less likely to spread disease, because it's harder for bacteria to cling to the slick, non-absorbent surface.



Canada will also pay less for its new plastic money. While the plastic bank notes cost more to print than their paper equivalents, their longer life means Canada will end up printing far fewer bills and save a substantial amount of, well, money in the long run.



All in all, it looks like plastic money is good for the government and good for consumers. Even the environment could end up cashing in on the trend toward plastic currency. It turns out plastic money can be recycled and used to manufacture other plastic products such as compost bins and plumbing fixtures.



Yet, the benefits of recycling are not exclusive to plastic money. For the past several years, various companies have been recycling worn out paper currency and using the recycled material in products ranging from pencils and coffee mugs to, ironically and appropriately, piggy banks.



Source: http://environment.about.com/b/2010/03/05/plastic-money-to-replace-paper-currency-in-canada.htm



So what do you think of replacing paper money with plastic?
 
Sounds pretty interesting, and cool. Getting rid of figurative currency and going electronic eventually would be nice, too - eliminates all of the extra pollution, costs, etc.
 
icon_lol.gif
Paying for money...



Nice idea though.
 
Durandal said:
Sounds pretty interesting, and cool. Getting rid of figurative currency and going electronic eventually would be nice, too - eliminates all of the extra pollution, costs, etc.



No, no, no. We're replacing paper money with plastic counterparts. So basically, we'll have $20 bills made of plastic.



The ones in Hong Kong are rather smooth as well.
 
el canadiano said:
No, no, no. We're replacing paper money with plastic counterparts. So basically, we'll have $20 bills made of plastic.



The ones in Hong Kong are rather smooth as well.



I, erm, didn't dispute this... 0_o I understand that. I know up there you folks might think we can't read, but I assure you I have decent reading comprehension skills. I was commenting how e v e n t u a l l y, it would be nice to go fully electronic...as in eliminate specie (I don't literally mean as in coin, but physical cash as a whole, here).
 
Durandal said:
I, erm, didn't dispute this... 0_o I understand that. I know up there you folks might think we can't read, but I assure you I have decent reading comprehension skills. I was commenting how e v e n t u a l l y, it would be nice to go fully electronic...as in eliminate specie (I don't literally mean as in coin, but physical cash as a whole, here).



Fair enough. I make much more payments via. that method anyways.
 

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Welcome to Offtopix 👋, Visitor

Off Topix is a well-established general discussion forum that originally opened to the public in 2009! We provide a laid-back atmosphere, and our members are down to earth. We have a ton of content, and fresh stuff is constantly being added. We cover all sorts of topics, so there's bound to be something inside to pique your interest. We welcome anyone and everyone to register and become a member of our awesome community.

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