Why on earth do the emotions get so high when you say you throw away money? As humans living in the western world we waste and throw away endless amounts of just about everything everyday. What makes throwing away the real thing so bad vs. throwing away something of equal value but not money?
And I really don't see what charity has to do with it. With that argument we should be giving to charity every time we throw food in the trash, shouldn't we?
Another thought, let's say I throw 1 CHF of 5 rappen in the garbage today and then throw in a 1 CHF coin in the coin collection next time I pass the airport, is that ok? Or does it have to be in 5 rappen coins for me to get absolution?
You could even make a trail of them, leading to something or other at the other end: A dead rat and a string to swing it, for example, or some other childish trinket.
At the Raiffeisen branch in our village they have a machine that you can throw all your coins into and it counts them out and gives you a slip with the total value of the coins, so there is no need to roll them.
I am not sure if Swiss children are any different to others as I am not overly child friendly much to the disgust of my poor grand-childless mother.
My comment was also not intended to be inflammatory. I was merely insinuating that there is a small possibility that Swiss children are not as accustomed to smaller denominations as many of their counterparts around the globe, due to the affiliation that Switzerland has with money.
One would hope that this was portrayed by my use of the emoticon .
Just out of curiosity, what is wrong with using the 5rp coins when you are doing your shopping? Like all other coins and even bank notes they are worth the value printed on them and are accepted legal tender so erm... why not use them in their intended function?
Attempt to buy a train ticket with them using the only machine in the area when I am waiting behind you, spend about 5 minutes selecting your location then painfully feed the coins in waiting for the previous coin to drop before inserting the next one.
I've seen some charity boxes in pharmacies and in the reception areas of hospitals and I think the toy shop, Franz Karl Weber, has a charity box on the counter you could drop the coins into - although with 3 francs worth of 50 rap coins, the box will probably fall through the counter-top .
Never heard the saying "Watch the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves"?
I spend all my 5rp, I try to go through all the coins in my pocket before getting more money out of the bank machine (Unless I know I'm going to need more, I'm not so tight as to go on a night out with 5fr in the pocket).
I have just been watching on T.V that a child dies every 17 seconds from drinking dirty water, and with as little as £2 (around 4frcs) a month you can help save lives here is the website www.wateraid.org so instead of putting them in the bin why not help save a childs life
For all those throwing those 5 rappens, I am not talking moral values, but just that it may be useful for someone else. Also, you never know what it will be worth in a few years..
"Ending in 1939 the Swiss produced nickel coins for the 5rp, 10rp and 20rp which are almost always thrown out of machines as they are magnetic. These are also not legal tender. but are rather collectable."
Have to admit, I was a suprised at the posters who admitted to throwing the things out. While it's true that we all throw away stuff of value, I doubt any are as easily changeable and portable as money. You can't transport your out of date food to Africa, but bloody hell, is it really that much effort to dump the 5rp in a charity box of your choice if you don't want them?