In Japan, and all other countries I’ve lived in, empty beer bottles have to be thrown out with the trash or taken to the store where you bought them. Sometimes there is a deposit on them, but you still need to carry them there.
Here in China, all we do is wait until we have a dozen or so, and then call one of the several people wandering the streets below that are collecting bottles, paper, and anything else that they can sell to be recycled. They come to our apartment, count the bottles, weigh the paper, and then pay us for it before taking it with them.
It’s a convenient way to dispose of the heavy and cumbersome trash, and get some extra beer money at the same time.
