Taipei launches 'cash for trash' machines

Residents of Taiwan's capital Taipei are using machines called iTrash booths to recycle cans and bottles in exchange for credit on their transport smart cards.

The initiative seeks to promote recycling while also giving residents more flexibility in how they dispose of their household rubbish.

The booths are about the size of vending machines and automatically process rubbish while depositing payments onto the cards and issuing receipts.

Each can collect around 200kg of cans and bottles, with plans to provide 10,000 units for the city of 2.67 million.

With little space for landfills and limited incineration options, crowded Taiwan has for decades required strict separation of paper, plastic, metal and kitchen scraps.

However, many residents must haul their waste to bin lorries that circulate twice a day or keep it at home.

City government commissioner of information and technology Lee Wei-bin said:

"People can be in full control of their schedule, and they do not have to worry about storing rubbish in their house."