Tricky-fingered woman in recycling scam

A bid to boost waste recycling in Hong Kong by offering people 10 cents for every plastic bottle they return has been pounced upon by a scammer who aims to convert cents into dollars.

Under a pilot scheme 60 reverse vending machines have been set up in public facilities, providing an instant payout via e-payment platforms.

But a video circulating online yesterday shows a woman in a pink outfit fooling a machine by recycling the same bottle repeatedly to collect considerably more than 10 cents.

The woman makes as if she's going to drop a bottle into the machine. But just as the machine registers it going inside the woman pulls the bottle back while tossing in plastic that looks like a bottle cap. Then she's set for another go.

The scam had people bubbling with anger.

"This machine is supposed to encourage people to participate in waste recycling," noted one. "If people are abusing it even for such a small amount of money it could be that authorities will ditch the scheme."