Bank Indonesia Bali Recycles 400,000 Damaged Banknotes into Running Event Medals

Bank Indonesia's (BI) Bali provincial branch has recycled roughly 400,000 unfit-for-circulation banknotes to produce around 2,000 medals for the "QRIS Bali Summer Run 2026" running event, held in the Renon area of Denpasar with 5km and 10km categories.

According to BI Bali branch head Achris Sarwani, damaged currency must be regularly withdrawn from circulation, and the accumulated waste was creatively repurposed into medals as both an environmental initiative and a keepsake for participants. Medals for the 5km category were made using shredded 50,000 rupiah note waste, while the 10km category used 100,000 rupiah note waste, with approximately 10 banknotes used per medal. The damaged notes were shredded into small fragments and compressed with clear acrylic material.

The annual race also served as a campaign to promote QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard) digital payments. Alongside the run, the event featured an MSME festival, a discount market accepting only QRIS transactions, and free health checkups, officially opened by BI Deputy Governor Filianingsih Hendarta together with Bali Regional Secretary Dewa Indra and Denpasar Deputy Mayor Kadek Agus Arya Wibawa.

Registration fees were set at 17,845 rupiah, symbolically tied to Indonesia's 81st Independence Day, with 100 percent of proceeds donated to orphanages in Denpasar and Jembrana. This year's edition marks the second running of the event, following its debut in 2025 when only a single 5km category drew about 1,000 participants. The practice of turning damaged rupiah banknote waste into running medals was recognized by the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) in 2025 as the country's first such initiative.