Beijing Recycling Program Turns Plastic Bottles Into Subway Rides 

A recycling program in Beijing allows subway riders to trade in plastic bottles for a commuter pass or mobile phone credit through "reverse vending machines" located in subway stations.

Despite Beijing's 90% recycling rate for PET bottles, it plans to install as many as 3,000 machines to bypass informal collectors. Recycling in China is more of an economic activity than an environmental pursuit, with countless migrant workers collecting plastic bottles.