How Reverse Vending Machines Can Help Create Better Recycling Habits

There was no shortage of innovative and exciting sustainable initiatives featured in the Circular Business Model Card Deck, however there was one business example that really caught my eye. This was example D of Collection Services: The Beijing Subway Recycling Program. In Beijing Subways the city installed reverse vending machines, where the consumer inserts a bottle to be recycled, the machine assesses the value and gives transit credit or extra mobile phone minutes in exchange. Tourists are also able to recycle without collecting rewards. One of the reasons I think this idea stood out for me was because it is simply so practical. I recently read an article called the Dragon’s of Inaction: Psychological Barriers That Limit Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation by Robert Gifford. I found this article extremely pertinent to this course as in order to change people’s behaviours it is important to first understand the psychological barriers that exist there. The article establishes 12 different psychological barriers to reducing climate change. Among the most important and difficult barriers identified is the barrier of our everyday habits. Since habits are often developed unintentionally, their importance in leading our everyday decisions can be sometimes be overlooked. This recycling program is so clever to me because its convenience and utilization of a daily service provide the conditions for transforming recycling into more of a habit, rather than and hassle. Currently returning bottles in exchange for money is inconvenient, because it requires you to go out of your way to one of the few locations that will do so. This results in people simply throwing away bottles when they have not acquired enough bottles to outweigh the cost of visiting a recycling location. The Beijing Subway Recycling Program innovatively replaces that money with a relevant and useful service in a convenient location.

Something else to consider is that generally sustainability is an issue primarily considered by the upper class. One problem I see with spreading the word about sustainability is that people concerned with sustainability often only socialize with likeminded people. I think this particular recycling program has the potential to make sustainability more relevant to all social classes in a more meaningful way because of it’s convenience and part of daily life. I also think this example if adopted in Metro’s and Subways around the world could be especially effective in developing countries as a way to encourage and educate about recycling. Obviously we have established that what we should be more focused on reducing and reusing, rather than simply recycling. Nevertheless I think this kind of creativity and adaptation should be used as inspiration for other initiatives.

Below are some more articles about the program.

Pay your subway ride 

The Guardian: Recycling Banks Pay Subway Credits