A litter-for-breakfast scheme, initiated five years ago at a scenic attraction in southwest China's Yunnan Province, is paying off handsomely, the man who introduced it said on Friday.

Li Shucheng, manager of 99 Longtan on Mt. Laojunshan in Lijiang city, loves photography and thought trash bins in the area eyesores.

"Many garbage cans would not be emptied until they were full, and animals may have become sick after eating the litter," he said.

The manager initiated the project in 2004.

On arrival, each tourist received a cloth bag from their hotel.

"We undertook when a bag of trash was collected, they could get a discount on breakfast up to 10 yuan," he said.

Now 150 tons of garbage a year is scooped up, rising from 80 tons when the practice was first implemented.

"Some visitors even use their umbrellas or clothes to bring back litter," said Li Shucheng, and some even collected litter without asking for a breakfast discount.

A similar policy, "Trash for stationery", targeting students, was set up this June at the nearby Liming scenic attraction.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2009)