mo4ch:>Turning billions of £20 notes into compost

Turning billions of £20 notes into compostBy Simon ReadPersonal finance reporter 21 February 2020 Image copyrightBank of EnglandSpend £20 today and it could soon be on its journey to becoming compost.The Bank of England has begun the massive task of destroying £40bn-worth of paper banknotes which were replaced by new polymer £20 notes on Thursday.Around two billion paper notes will be withdrawn and recycled to be used as a soil improver for agriculture."It's an enormous operation the general public will barely notice," said Mark Saunders of G4S, which handles two-thirds of Britain's banknotes.The replacement of the two billion notes will be the biggest cash replacement in UK history. The old twenties bearing the image of economist Adam Smith are being taken out of circulation. That means notes returned to banks or to cash centres by retailers will not be used again, although some stores recycle notes through their own cash machines.The process will take months but once …