More than 75 communities have recycled 179 million pounds of materials in one year and citizens have collected $4 million in rewards under a program launched last year by Waste Management and recycling incentive company Recyclebank.
Waste Management, which invested in Recyclebank’s parent company Recycle Rewards in 2011, plans to expand the program to more than 20 additional communities over the next several months.
In early 2012, Recyclebank, the website that rewards the public for recycling, debuted in communities serviced by Waste Management across the United States. The combination of Waste Management’s curbside collection infrastructure and Recyclebank’s online education and behavior change platform accelerated sustainability and growth goals for both companies, the two firms said.
For example, when Little Rock, Ark., implemented Recyclebank in April 2012, the community converted to single-stream recycling and debuted larger carts with Waste Management. The actions coincided with a 63 percent increase in the amount recycled through the end of the year.
Osceola County, near Orlando, Fla., has recycled more than 9 million pounds of material since September when Waste Management launched the community’s first-ever curbside recycling program along with incentives from Recyclebank.
Recyclebank uses discounts and deals from more than 3,000 local and national businesses to reward people for taking “green actions.” Consumers earn points towards deals for each green action they take.
Recyclebank has formed similar partnerships with consumer goods companies. SC Johnson announced in June 2012 it would work with Recyclebank to increase curbside recycling in 50 towns and cities across the US.
The SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge offers consumers incentives for recycling, and aims to contribute to the company’s goal to become landfill neutral by 2016.
In 2011, Procter & Gamble expanded its partnership with Recyclebank. The partnership was built off an existing relationship in Cincinnati, where P&G, Recyclebank, Rumpke Recycling and Cascade Engineering aim to double the city’s recycling rate and help meet its 25 percent diversion goal by this year.
