New machines to exchange trash for cash

The initiative seeks to promote recycling while also giving residents more flexibility in how they dispose of their household garbage. The booths are about the size of vending machines and automatically compress the throwaways and contain odors while depositing payments onto the cards and issuing receipts. Each can collect around 200 kilograms of cans and bottles. So far, feedback from the public has been positive.

Residents of Taipei, Taiwan, China are using newly installed machines called "iTrash booths" to recycle cans and bottles in exchange for credit on their transportation smart cards. The initiative seeks to promote recycling while also giving residents more flexibility in how they dispose of their household garbage.

The booths are about the size of vending machines and automatically compress the throwaways and contain odors while depositing payments onto the cards and issuing receipts. Each can collect around 200 kilograms of cans and bottles. So far, feedback from the public has been positive./.