New campaign in Cluj-Napoca: Free bus tickets in exchange for recyclable items

Cluj-Napoca, a major city in Romania’s Transylvania region, has launched a new pilot project to promote recycling and selective waste collection: people can now swap empty bottles or cans for free bus tickets.

According to Cluj mayor Emil Boc, recycling 15 containers (glass, plastic, or aluminium/metal) gets you a free two-way ticket for public transport. A special collecting machine was installed at the Zorilor agro-food market in the city.

Mayor Boc also said that a new recycling point would be opened at the Flora food market in the Mănăștur neighbourhood on August 1.

To benefit from this scheme, people have to return their recyclable clean, without any liquids or other toxic substances, and with the label intact. Glass containers should not exceed 1.5 litres while the maximum for plastics is 3 litres.

Each item has to be inserted into the container, one by one. The system may take a few seconds to detect the item, so people should not force the packaging into the machine.

To issue the voucher, citizens have to press the green button. The machine will give a voucher for each type of packaging inserted in the container.

Fifteen glass or plastic packages bring the person a free ticket for two trips on public transport, which can be picked up from ticket sales points or centres of the CTP - Cluj-Napoca’s Public Transport Company.

This is not the first campaign of this type aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and public transport use in Cluj-Napoca. One of its most popular initiatives offered free bus tickets to residents who accepted the challenge of doing 20 squats.

(Photo source: Facebook/Emil Boc)