Can I throw away my pennies?

May 13, 2015 4:30 PM

In the United States, it is illegal for me to throw my pennies into public trash cans?
posted by mrgrimm to Law & Government (19 answers total)

No.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 4:35 PM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

(Not answering the question, but in case there's another question hidden in there: why not put them on top of the can, so someone who could use a penny can have it?)
posted by tapir-whorf at 4:39 PM on May 13, 2015 [13 favorites]

Best answer: The laws about destroying, mutilating, damaging money is focused on preventing people from gaming the system for their own gains; throwing out a penny is the same as crushing a penny in those amusement park machines, which is fine because the purpose isn't fraudulent. Are you throwing out a coin as a means of committing fraud? If not, then you're OK.
posted by AzraelBrown at 4:42 PM on May 13, 2015 [5 favorites]

The Straight Dope says the same thing - you can deface money all you want as long as it's not fradulent.
posted by GuyZero at 4:44 PM on May 13, 2015

I think these are the relevant federal laws, but I'm not sure how to interpret them.
posted by insectosaurus at 4:47 PM on May 13, 2015

I've done this in the past, but it's just as easy to toss them on the ground or rest them on top of the trash bin where someone who really needs a few cents can pick it up. Then of course you have to wonder if that counts as littering and is illegal - oh my!
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:55 PM on May 13, 2015 [2 favorites]

Hopefully this is on-topic enough: another alternative is to always, as soon as you get pennies in change, leave them right there on the counter, off to the side. If there is a formal "need a penny? take a penny!" dish, use that of course. But even if not, the next person might need the number of cents you're leaving to make the next nickle.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 5:02 PM on May 13, 2015 [7 favorites]

maybe the question is how much are you dumping. Truckload into a trash can...maybe
posted by radsqd at 5:32 PM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

Not illegal. But it would be more fun to tie them up in a treasure bag and "hide" it somewhere a kid will find it.
posted by ctmf at 6:19 PM on May 13, 2015 [3 favorites]

AFAIK, it's legal. Of course, putting all that copper-plated zinc into a landfill might not be that environmentally responsible.

My late father kept a big reagent jar in his living room and put his extra pennies into it. When it was full, he started a bucket. He spent a lot of time walking around town after he retired, and picked up a lot of pennies. After he died, I took them to a CoinStar machine and shoveled them in. I wound up with a voucher for just over $80. There were about 8,500 pennies involved, and it took about 20 minutes to process them all, but it was worth the time.
posted by brianogilvie at 6:30 PM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: CoinStar will also take your pennies and other misc. change, and will donate them to a charity without taking out a fee. That's what I end up doing with all of my spare change.

My late father left behind a quart Ziploc bag, nearly full with pennies. At the time, Whole Foods had a coin collector where you deposit a coin, and it spirals down a funnel to the base. It was a fundraiser for their foundation. So, that's what I did. For nearly 30 minutes, just continuously fed pennies into the spiral, and watched them slink down. Noisy and meditative.
posted by spinifex23 at 7:34 PM on May 13, 2015 [14 favorites]

In fact in some incomprehensibly tiny sense, the U.S. Govt thanks you for destroying or throwing away its money. Since cash is technically a promise to pay from the government, its kind of like burning an IOU.

Same reason the govt issues collectible coins. Think of all those 50 state quarters no one will ever spend. Pure profit to the U.S. Treasury.
posted by banishedimmortal at 1:10 AM on May 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, spinifex. I'll maybe save them up and take them to Whole Foods. My credit union got rid of its Coinstar (I don't think they even accept wrapped pennies anymore.)

I use all my other change, but pennies aren't very practical. No one wants them, and some people are offended if you try to give them pennies.

I'll always leave them in a take-a-penny/leave-a-penny, but they are disappearing, and some cashiers won't even keep the penny (if a purchase is 99 cents, etc.).

I don't use Whole Foods, but I can find one. Anywhere else have CoinStars? Safeway? TJ's?
posted by mrgrimm at 7:09 AM on May 14, 2015

Coinstar has a locator on their website.
posted by CheeseLouise at 7:51 AM on May 14, 2015 [2 favorites]

I put them in tip or donation jars, leave them in public, and still I have pennies sneaking into my pockets, my car, my home. I do save the all-copper ones in a jar.
posted by theora55 at 9:06 AM on May 14, 2015

I put all my (equivalent of) pennies in a plastic cup, and when it is full, I give it to someone. Did the same when I lived in the US. People don't mind a cupful of pennies.
posted by mumimor at 9:14 AM on May 14, 2015

Does your bank or credit union not have a machine you can run them through and get more useful cash from? Like Coinstar, only you get all the money.
posted by newrambler at 3:25 PM on May 14, 2015

Best answer: Another option is to move to Canada or Australia.
posted by GuyZero at 3:47 PM on May 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

My daughter drops her pennies in parking lots for kids to find. Or anyone, for that matter. She likes the idea of someone getting a little surprise in their day.
posted by LaBellaStella at 6:18 PM on May 14, 2015 [2 favorites]