These special ticket-vending machines in Beijing accept used water bottles as payment for your subway ticket

In order to fight the mounting problem of plastic waste that eventually ends up in our landfills and oceans, Beijing has come up with a unique idea to encourage its citizens to recycle used plastic bottles.

The subway stations in Beijing have special ticket-vending machines that accept used plastic bottles from people. Once entered in the recycling machine, the bottles are first scanned so that their value is calculated depending on the plastics’ quality and number. In return, the machine issues a public transportation credit or extra mobile phone minutes.

Most of these machines are placed in high-traffic or touristy areas, such as the Temple of Heaven, which sees as many as 60,000 people pass by daily.

Read full news here: https://www.thecivilengineer.org/news-center/latest-news/item/1599-in-beijing-plastic-bottles-can-pay-for-your-subway-ticket