In Rome you trade in plastic bottles for a metro ticket

28 Mar 2024Updated: 4 hours ago | 52 people are reading

In Rome you trade in plastic bottles for a metro ticket

 © Lonely Planet In Rome, you exchange plastic bottles for a metro ticket

Travelers can now save credits for public transport by recycling their plastic bottles.

After a similar campaign in Istanbul, commuters in Rome can now also save money and be a bit better for the environment by exchanging plastic for travel credit. At three stations in Rome - Cipro on the A-line, Pyramid on the B-line and San Giovanni on the C-line - travelers can trade in plastic bottles for travel credit at a kind of deposit machine. This credit can be used for bus and metro tickets.

You get five cents travel credit for each plastic bottle. That means that you have to recycle 30 bottles to buy a metro ticket of € 1.50. Bottles can be of any size, from 250 milliliters to 2 liters. When the bottles are pushed into the machine, they sort them and you receive credit through the MyCicero and Tabnet app.

This environmentally friendly initiative of transport company Atac, called Ricicli + Viaggi (recycle and trip), was unveiled on Wednesday by the mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi. The deposit machines will remain in place for 12 months before the test phase. Should it be a success, more vending machines will be installed.

Paolo Simoni, director of Atac, says: "In an age of crypto-currency there are also plastic payment methods. With this system, we recycle, build loyal customers and your good behavior is rewarded. "

Italy is the worst waste and waste country in four other European countries. The country produces mountains of waste, something that has caused a real crisis in Rome. It is not surprising there to see crowded containers and litter on the street. Especially in the warm months this can cause health risks.

Although this initiative is not enough to reduce urban waste, it is a step in the right direction. As Raggi said in her statement: "even a small gesture is important."

Opening image: iStock / jonathanfilskov-photography