“Going Green” with recycled banknotes for Hari Raya

Given that only high quality banknotes will be recycled, members of the public are encouraged to use these banknotes for duit raya.

Every year, BNM issues about 750 million pieces of new RM1 and RM5 banknotes to meet the seasonal demand for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year. However, about 70% of the issued banknotes are not required for normal payment transactions and are returned as deposits soon after the festive season, resulting in excess RM1 and RM5 banknotes at BNM. 

The printing of an additional 500 million pieces to meet the festive demands consumes more than 80 tons of ink and two million kWh of electricity - enough to power 7,500 Malaysian homes for a month. BNM says there will be sufficient banknotes of all denominations for the Raya celebration.