In the United States, a bipartisan Congress group has been pushing for the paper dollar to be replaced with a dollar coin.

The campaign has been supported by a study of the Government Accountability Office which said the government could save about $5.5 billion over 30 years if it replaced dollar bills with coins. Paper bills last about three years on average before being shredded into waste paper. Coins can circulate for some three decades before they are worn out and recycled.

With the US federal deficit exceeding $1 trillion, supporters of the so-called Currency Optimization, Innovation and National Savings Act say it will help solve the debt problem.