As you can see from my previous article about the Dead Sea, I have been on a trip to Israel and Jordan. Both countries are in desperate lack of water as they are in the Middle East surrounded by deserts. I even heard that there sometimes were ?water shortages? just like blackouts, and you cannot use water in the bathroom for a week! Furthermore, water from the tap is usually hard water, making it difficult to drink.

           Therefore, most people in the region, as well as tourists buy drinking water, and naturally, this result in millions of plastic bottles. The impressive thing was that the countries were trying hard to recycle those plastic bottles, maybe because they used so many of them. Anyways, I felt good looking at so many recycling bins for plastic bottles. They also had many fun ways to reduce and recycle plastic bottles.

           I saw the first unique one at Masada National Park, which is basically a fortress atop a rocky hill. There was a simple recycling bin for plastic bottles on the top of the hill, just like many other places. However, the special thing was how the bin let us know that it was for bottles only. They had fitted for plastic bottles on the top corners of the bin and this automatically let us know that it was for plastic bottles only without a single word on the bin itself. I thought that it was a very clever way because that way, you don?t have to spend money and resources to mark the words on the trash can. Plus, people would be more reluctant to throw other things in the bin.

           The second one I saw as at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. It was a funny ad that advertised Sodastream, a machine for making soda at home. They had put hundreds of plastic bottles in a big transparent box, with a phrase that said ?1 Sodastream reusable bottle can replace all of this?. It was a funny ad, and it made me want to buy the machine to use less plastic bottles. Furthermore, it made even those who weren?t interested in the machine to use less plastic bottles by showing hundreds of used ones in a box.

           As countries that are surrounded by deserts, both Israel and Jordan consume huge amount drinking water as well as plastic bottles. However, they have come up with unique ways that help save this problem in a funny and efficient way.

1. A recycling bin for plastic bottles. It indicates that it is for plastic bottles only by placing four plastic bottles on the top corners.

2. A Sodastream ad that says ?1 Sodastream reusable bottle can replace all of this?