A RecycleBank program in Houston funded in part by Alcoa Recycling is yielding tremendous results. During the first three months of collections, the city’s recycling volume increased by 141% in those neighborhoods participating in the pilot program. The program currently involves 20,000 homes – it will soon be expanded to 50,000 more homes in Houston – and results show that 78% of eligible homes are recycling.
RecycleBank, founded in 2004, is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle. Homeowners can earn reward points for every pound of material they recycle, and then redeem those points for rewards or discounts from area merchants. A computer chip inside the curbside bins keeps track of how much each family recycles and determines how many awards points each home receives.
RecycleBank has proven to more than double recycling rates in cities in 21 states across the country and the United Kingdom. Alcoa is a proud supporter of RecycleBank.
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