Resumption of US coin programme: a victory for recyclers

United States – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has applauded the decision by the US Mint to resume the Mutilated Coin Redemption Program after a suspension lasting nearly three years. The programme is claimed to be worth millions of dollars to the recycling industry which recovers coins left in end-of-life products turned in for processing.

Recycling facilities across the USA have been recovering coins for many decades – in the form, for example, of loose change left in cars or found between seats, as well as money left in vending machines and coin-operated laundry machines.

During shredding or other forms of processing, these coins fall free or are specifically targeted for recovery. As recycling technology has advanced, the ability to accumulate coins in significant quantities has developed rapidly, becoming an integral part of many recycling companies’ operations and product lines.

‘The recycling industry is committed to working closely with the Mint on the success of this programme,’ stresses ISRI’s president Robin Wiener. ‘We share the common goal of the recovery and recycling of coins while protecting the integrity of the programme.’