BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) employees have launched an initiative to recycle polymer banknotes deemed unfit for circulation into chairs, donating nearly 100 units to a public elementary school in Davao City.
The armchairs were turned over by the BSP Employees Association Inc. (BSPEAI) to the Doña Pilar L. Marfori Elementary School on July 22 under the Banknote-to-Armchair Project, which transforms unfit polymer banknotes and manufacturing byproducts into classroom furniture through a partnership with Envirotech Waste Recycling Inc.
The turnover was led by BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan, BSP Mindanao Regional Office officer in charge Jason Capocao, BSPEAI President Brent Lucero and Currency Policy and Integrity Department director Eloisa Glindro.
“Polymer banknotes follow a planned lifecycle from circulation to recycling. End-of-life management is built into their design,” Tangonan said, underscoring the BSP’s efforts to incorporate sustainability into the country’s polymer banknote program.
Lucero said the recipient school was chosen based on an assessment of its needs.
The BSP said the recycling project complemented the environmental objectives behind the adoption of polymer banknotes, which are designed to last longer than paper currency and generate less waste over time.
From 2022 to May 2026, only 0.02 percent of the P1,000 polymer banknotes issued to banks were returned as worn out or damaged, compared with 54.75 percent of P1,000 paper banknotes issued during the same period, according to BSP data.
The central bank added that it had not received any lower-denomination polymer banknotes as unfit for circulation since those denominations were introduced in December 2024.
As more polymer banknotes complete their circulation cycle in the coming years, the BSP said projects such as the Banknote-to-Armchair initiative demonstrate how discarded currency can be repurposed for community use instead of ending up as waste.
