Rome has launched a scheme to exchange used plastic bottles for bus and Metro tickets. Empties are dropped into machines at 30 Metro stations and in return customers are credited in an app with a €1.50 ($1.70) ticket for three bottles, or €0.05 per bottle. Mayor Virginia Raggi has fought fare dodging in the city and said the scheme gave people an incentive to buy a ticket. The city’s residents have been reportedly reluctant to use large rubbish bins for plastic bottles after a health warning, and as a result bagged waste is accumulating in the city.
Rome has launched a scheme to exchange used plastic bottles for bus and Metro tickets. Empties are dropped into machines at three Metro stations and in return customers are credited in an app with a €1.50 ($1.70) ticket for 30 bottles, or €0.05 per bottle. Mayor Virginia Raggi has fought fare dodging in the city and said the scheme gave people an incentive to buy a ticket. The city’s residents have been reportedly reluctant to use large rubbish bins for plastic bottles after a health warning, and as a result bagged waste is accumulating in the city.