In Istanbul, you can use plastic bottles instead of money to pay for train rides

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) is currently running a pilot project where commuters can earn credits for public transportation rides every time they recycle plastic bottles, cans or paper.

The system works via machines that accepts recycleable plastic bottles, cans or paper and then crediting a pre-determined amount into the commuter’s travel card. The credit can then be used for the city’s public transport systems and several other municipal services.

VIDEO: A pilot project in Istanbul is allowing metro users to pay for credit on travel cards by slotting plastic bottles instead of money into vending machines pic.twitter.com/SDnWWot1u2

— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 9, 2018

The “Smart Mobile Waste Transfer Machine”, as it is known, has been installed in 25 locations throughout the city as a part of the pilot project. The council aims to have about 100 machines by the end of this year.

A typical ride on the Instabul Metro costs about 2.60 lira (about RM2). For one plastic bottle, the machine pays 0.03 lira in credit to the travel card. You’ll need about 87 bottles for one ride on the metro.

The program is run by the municipality to promote recycling in Instanbul and Turkey — a country that has a bad rep when it comes to recycling.

Turkey ranks 108th on the 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The index, produced Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy, ranks 180 countries based on 24 environmental performance criteria. In comparison, Malaysia ranks a respectable 75th on the list, ahead of all our South East Asian neighbours, except Singapore.

Turkey produces an estimated 31 million tonnes of waste annually, out of which only 11 percent is recycled.

In Malaysia, RapidKL has introduced the unlimited-ride pass to reduce the cost of transportation. Perhaps RapidKL can consider a simillar recycle program to further encourage recycling in the country.

[via]