Briquette from worn-out, unusable bank notes

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has brought the technology of making briquette from the torn, worn-out, soiled, and trashed banknotes.

This technology was first brought from the Netherlands. With the use of this technology, the torn and unusable currency notes are burnt in a furnace, and the ash produced from this is made into a briquette.

Before this, the unusable old and tattered notes were destroyed by burning them. The Central Bank reached an agreement with a company in the Netherlands in 2020 to bring eight such incinerator machines. Four machines have arrived in Nepal recently and one machine each would be installed in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj, and Nepalgunj in the first phase for making briquette out of the unusable old notes, NRB's Currency Management Department Chief Rewati Prasad Nepal said.

He said production of briquette from the unusable notes has already started in Kathmandu and it would be initiated from Nepalgunj from today. As he said, the process will also be started soon from Biratnagar and Birgunj.

Chief Nepal shared that the remaining four machines would be brought in about one and half months and production of briquette from torn and unusable banknotes would be started from Janakpur, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, and Dhangadhi.

About 400 kilograms of ash was produced from 400 bundles of notes that were incinerated for the first time.

NRB stated that it bought the machines for disposing of the unusable notes and using their by-product for alternative purposes. This also spares the bank of the cumbersome process of burning the old notes and also helps in the prevention of environmental pollution. 

Chief Nepal said the briquettes produced can be used by brick kilns or industries using coal as fuel. It can also be used for household purposes.

NRB destroys unusable notes worth about Rs 40 to 45 billion every year.