It may not be burning a hole in anyone’s pockets, but loose change that’s tossed in the garbage is padding the bottom line of a Chester energy company.

After realizing how many coins were going through its garbage-burning incinerators, Covanta Holding Corp. developed a system to sort them out.

In a single year, Covanta now accumulates about $360,000 worth of salvaged coins, according to a Bloomberg report by Joe Ryan.

“I’ve been in this business 30 years,” Senior Vice President of Metals Management Steve Bossotti said. “When I saw the amount of coins coming out of that one plant, it was absolutely an eye-opener.”

A $70 million investment in powerful magnets back in 2011 returned $61 million last year alone through scrap metal sales.

The only catch is that the U.S. Mint suspended a program that paid for salvaged coins last November due to suspected counterfeiting. Covanta is waiting on the government because it can’t melt down the sooty coins or deposit them in the bank.

Read more about the trash that is Covanta’s treasure from Bloomberg.

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