Rubbish for rhubarb

(Image: Efeverde)

As many parents and grandparents will tell you, there used to be a time when glass bottles and the like were returned to shops in exchange for money. The bottles got recycled, you didn't have that empty gin bottle staring pointedly at you every time you went into the kitchen and you got a little bit of money out of the bargain too. Everyone was happy.

Well now it seems that this clever idea has been reinstalled in Mexico City. The citizens bring their cleaned recyclables (anything from glass to paper to plastics to Tetra Paks) to Chapultepec Park in the country’s capital and hand them over to the recycling companies. In return, they receive vouchers to use at the farmer's market next door to buy fresh, local food.

Since the vouchers are funded by the recycling companies, they get materials to recycle, the farmers sell more food and the residents get rid of their recycling in exchange for free produce. And the cherry on the top? An increased awareness of the benefits of recycling between every Tom, Dick, Farmer and Recycling company.

Now that's definitely something to tell the grandchildren.

P.S. This isn't the first Mexican swapping story we've told you. Remember the Hipsters that were desperate to swap shoes with the Mexicans?

(Spotted on Springwise)

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