Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Hong Kong coin collection programme launched

On 19 September, The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has announces that their coin collection programme will start on early October. two "Coin Carts" will collect coins from members of the public in various districts on a rotation basis starting from October 6.

coin counting machine

At the launching ceremony, the Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Norman Chan, said, "The coin collection programme provides a channel for the public to get value for their coins in addition to the existing banking system. The coins collected will be recirculated to meet public demand, making circulation more efficient and reducing the need for minting new coins."

Each Coin Cart will normally operate at a location for seven days, Monday through Sunday, from 9am to 7pm. Each vehicle is equipped with two coin counting machines and operational staff will be present to provide assistance. An electrical wheelchair lift is available for use. Users can choose to exchange their spare coins for banknotes or adding value to Octopus card. There is also a Community Chest donation box inside each vehicle. The coin collection service is free of charge.

Coin Cart

The exterior of the two Coin Carts is based on the design created by the champion of the "Mobile Coin Collection Kiosk Design Competition", held earlier with the participation of secondary school students. At the launching ceremony held today, winners of the design competition received prizes from Mr Chan and other officiating guests.

The coin collection schedule and other details about the programme are shown on the HKMA website (coincollection.hkma.gov.hk). The schedule from October 2014 to February 2015 is attached. The programme lasts for two years until September 2016. The HKMA will update the schedule from time to time to give advance notice to the public.