Mongolia imports on average 132 thousand plastic bottles each year; however, only 30 percent of the waste is recycled. What happened to the rest? All of it is dumped – much of it spoiling the country’s pristine countryside. Sadly, this is all due to the insufficiency of recycling bins.

A solution, however, is being introduced: rubbish vending machines (RVM) are being installed in stores for proper waste recycling.

In return for empty aluminum cans, beverage bottles, and cartons with a volume of less than 1 liter, the machine gives receipts with a QR code that can be later redeemed through the Mongol Chat mobile application. It is currently giving MNT 20 for a single container .