Britian has introduced a new 5-pound note that is cleaner, chewable and washable.

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, tests a new polymer 5-pound note by dipping it in a tray of food as he buys lunch at Whitecross Street Market in London.

It can withstand a spin-cycle in a washing machine filled with extremely hot water. It can be eaten by mischievous toddlers or pet hamsters without causing lethal indigestion. It can fend off wily criminals with micro lettering visible only under a microscope.

Printed for more than a hundred years on cotton paper a new 5-pound note introduced on Tuesday by the British central bank, now comes in polymer, a thin, flexible plastic film that makes it stronger, safer and more resistant to counterfeiters.
Britain is the latest country to choose polymer over paper for those hardy attributes, following Canada, Australia, Mexico, Singapore and New Zealand.

Given its durability, polymer is considered more environmentally friendly than traditional paper bills.- The new york Times