Paying for Subway Tickets with Plastic Bottles and 10 More Ingenious Solutions to Everyday Problems

Photo credit: Bored Panda

Beijing decided to implement an ingenious idea to encourage people to recycle more by installing 34 “reverse” vending machines inside subway stations throughout the city. When an empty plastic bottle is inserted, a sensor scans it to assess the value of the plastic – anywhere from 5 to 15 cents – and turns that into public transportation credit or extra mobile phone minutes. The reward is commensurate with the quality and number of bottles being fed into the machine, while tourists who don’t need the rewards can insert bottles anyways. Continue reading to see more ingenious solutions to everyday problems. Click here for a few bonus images.