Dozens of people clutching bags full of plastic bottles and disposable cups queue at a busy bus terminal in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. (Photo: AFP)Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian city of Surabayahas launched a scheme that allows passengers to swap plastic waste for bustickets, a smart solution to reduce trash and tackle traffic congestion.
Accordingly, three large bottles, five medium bottles or 10plastic cups are equal to an hour-long bus ride with unlimited stops costs.However, they must be cleaned and cannot be squashed.
Currently, the fleet consists of 20 near-new buses, eachwith recycling bins and ticket officers whose duties include collecting anyleftover bottles.
The Surabaya scheme has been a hit in the city of 2.9million people, with nearly 16,000 passengers trading trash for free rides eachweek.
Authorities said roughly six tonnes of plastic rubbish arecollected from passengers each month before being auctioned to recyclingcompanies.
Indonesia, the world's second-biggest marine polluter behindChina, has pledged to reduce plastic waste in its waters by some 70 percent by2025 via boosting recycling, raising public awareness, and curbing usage.
Along with Surabaya, other parts of Indonesia are alsotrying to tackle the issue. Bali is phasing in a ban on single-use plasticstraws and bags, while Jakarta is considering a similar bylaw to rid the cityof plastic shopping bags.-VNA
VNA
