Which was the first country to introduce polymer banknotes as its currency?

Correct answer: Australia

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What people think about it: 16 Comments
Player Sherry
Player Sherry
good idea! They last longer and stay cleaner.
Clidge
Clidge
I thought plastic money was called a charge card😆
Player judyndisguise
Player judyndisguise
Player Sherry, but never put them in the clothes driver!
kk
kk
We need LESS petroleum-based plastic in the world, not more!
Aleesha J
Aleesha J
Player #29684811, yeah but having lived here for 30 years, I'm yet to see anyone throw money away 😂 it's kept pretty safely in our wallets so the risk of pollution wouldn't happen unless civilisation here was no longer existent.
Silviu Adrian
Silviu Adrian
Romania was the first country in mainland Europe to issue a plastic note in 1999 and became the third country after Australia and New Zealand to fully convert to polymer by 2003
BlueQ
BlueQ
I remember ironing my paper money so it was perfect when I was a kid, guess you can’t do that with polymer bills.
Portia
Portia
I was working in Foreign Exchange at Gatwick airport when I first saw them. That and the Euro!!
Boot
Boot
I don't think this is right, I remember the Isle of man having a plastic 50 pence note back in the 80s
tia
tia
Problem is they tend to 'jump around' rather than stay folded!
Biological/Mojo
Biological/Mojo
dawnp215, well think if it was aphalt or paper before people use to bury money years on end ?
Player #8868737
Player #8868737
the first polymer note introduced to the Australian currency was a $10 dollar Bicentenary aboriginal note on 1st January 1988 .
WhoLetTheDogsOut?
WhoLetTheDogsOut?
Arohanui, given the value of the plastic (min. of $5), it is never lost as litter. The New Note Series can be granulated, melted and blended into pellets that become raw materials for recycling into a range of plastic products.
flr
flr
As a checkout operator in Australia, please people don't fold or crumple the notes! They won't lie flat in the register drawer otherwise.
dawnp215
dawnp215
jimmyboy, I've never had any Canadian polymer bills tear at all since the start here in Canada personally.
Player #2966030
Player #2966030
Player judyndisguise, never thought of that