JAKARTA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Trash banks have been thriving across Indonesia and people can open accounts there, make deposits of trash, which are converted to local currency, and periodically withdraw cash.
With over 250 million people live on thousands of islands, Indonesia generates 64 million tons of trash every year, most of which ends up with landfill near towns and cities.
Against this backdrop, trash banks emerged in several towns of Indonesia in 2011 and spread quickly around the country since.
For regular trash banks, residents who have registered can bring recyclable trash such as plastic bottles, paper and packaging to nearby collection sites, where the rubbish is weighed and given a monetary value.
By the end of 2015, there were more than 2,800 trash banks managing 5,551 tons of waste and paying 34.3 billion rupiah (2.6 million U.S. dollars) per month.