In support of the "Go Green" initiative, Bank Negara Malaysia will continue to recycle near new RM1 and RM5 banknotes for the coming Chinese New Year.

The "Go Green" initiative, launched in July 2013, was well received by members of the public, enabling Bank Negara Malaysia to issue 35% less new banknotes for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Bank Negara Malaysia would like to thank members of the public for this support and urge all Malaysians to continue using near new banknotes during the Lunar New Year celebration.

Every year Bank Negara Malaysia issues about 750 million pieces of new RM1 and RM5 banknotes for both Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year. However, about 70% or 500 million pieces of the banknotes issued would be deposited back into banks without being used for any payment transactions.  This becomes an unnecessary use of the country's resources. Printing 500 million pieces of banknotes consumes more than 80 tons of ink and 2 million kWh of electricity which is enough to power 7,500 Malaysian homes for a month.

Members of the public are encouraged to use such near new banknotes for "angpow" as only high quality banknotes are recycled. Throughout this festive season, Bank Negara Malaysia will ensure sufficient banknotes of all denominations which ABM and AIBIM will facilitate its distribution to members of the public through bank branches and ATMs.

The "Go Green" initiative is a national initiative to promote sustainability of our resources and conservation of our environment; a collaborative effort by Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air (KeTTHA), Bank Negara Malaysia, the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), the Association of Islamic Banking Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM), Malaysian Environmental NGOs (MENGO) and Yayasan Anak Warisan Alam (YAWA).