Recycle + Rewards= Starbucks? Yes Please!

Posted on October 19, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized |

recycle-bar by Lauren Ellis

Back at my elementary school, the administration would raise money through a “Script�? system- a program that encouraged families to purchase corporate sponsored coupons from the likes of Safeway and Starbucks to raise money for the school and promote a healthy civic lifestyle. RecycleBank has the same goal in mind, but on a grander, much more environmentally conscious, scale.

One of the first companies to merge environmental justice with economic incentives, RecycleBank is tackling the token waste problem head on, encouraging millions of consumers (or rather, wasters) to engage in local co-operative recycling programs with a built in rewards system. Waste doesn’t tread lightly: the average American generates 4.5 lbs of garbage per day, plastic requires 100 to 400 years to break down in a landfill, and recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours!

RecycleBank aims to shrink that insurmountable eco-footprint with a homeowner value points system. For every pound recycled, a participant will earn 2.5 RecycleBank points, which can be used at local and national stores. It’s a simple three step process- recycle, redeem, and reward!

RecycleBank has teamed up with over 1,500 retailers, everything from Rite Aid, CVS, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods Market, to Chick-Fil-A, Dunkin Donuts, and Cold Stone Creamery. Members of RecycleBank can earn Points through curbside recycling or recycling e-waste, and then spend them at the partner companies. According to the site:

In the curbside program, your RecycleBank cart will be weighed each week upon pick up. The weight will then be translated to RecycleBank points. The more you recycle, the more your household can earn.

For e-waste, consumers can recycle all cell phones, laptops, and iPods. You simply choose the make and model, are given a printable package slip and mailing label, the device is inspected, and then you are awarded RecycleBank Points.

You can also earn points by participating in RecycleBank’s Gconomy, an economic model that rewards positive green actions- which can be anything from using renewable energy, reusing products, digital downloads, and much more. As of 2009, RecycleBank has saved the equivalent of 2.9 million trees and 190 million oil resources, not to mention mitigating the tens of millions of dollars spent annually in landfill disposal fees.

Over one million people in 20 cities are participating right now. To learn how to sign up and get involved, check out the tutorial page for more information.

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