Cash for trash to help poor

Beijing has launched a "waste for donation" project to help poverty-stricken families in the city, Beijing Morning Post reported Wednesday.

As many as 1,000 waste collection stations will be set up by the municipal government this year, recycling renewable waste from residents offering higher prices than street buyers and donating the profits to families in need, the paper said.

The stations will have weighing area, redemption area and a place for families in difficult situation to highlight their plight. Waste such as newspapers, paper boxes and beverage bottles will be exchanged with a money card that can be traded for food and daily necessities.

The project followed the government's charitable foundation by buying waste from residents last year.