Subway passengers in Beijing now able to pay fares by recycling

In cooperation with Beijing municipality, the company Icom took the initiative to install machines able to recycle plastic bottles in the subway. The concept is original: subway users can obtain credit on their transport card in return for their used bottles (check the video).

Since its launch in 2012, the program is still in its testing phase with only a thirty machines installed. However, Beijing authorities, currently expanding public transport infrastructure, plan to purchase 3,000 new machines within the metropolitan network. This move could compromise the activity of independent trash collectors in terms of plastic recycling.