Monday, November 17, 2008

Get Rewards For Recycling

What if you could be rewarded for recycling? Just think about it: a frequent-flyer program for recyclers. Put your recyclablest in an electronically tagged bin for pickup by a truck, which weighs how much you are recycling--and transmits the data to a web site. By the time you've reentered your home, you can retrieve the points online and redeem them for discounts at stores like CVS and PETCO, or on brands like Stonyfield Farms, Sun & Earth and Green Mountain Coffee.

That's the simple idea behind RecycleBank, the brainchild of two high-school science-lab partners and one of the "hottest plays" among venture-capital firms. In a word, or four, by "turning garbage to gold," RecycleBank has changed the economics of recycling. In cities and towns where it's operating, like Wilmington, Delaware, recycling rates have jumped tenfold, from 3 percent to 32 percent. Read the entire article.

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