Peachtree City customers of Republic Services waste hauling now have another incentive to recycle.
Starting Apr. 1, the company is offering a RecycleBank program that rewards citizens
for recycling with points redeemable at local and national retailers, restaurants, pharmacies, groceries and more.
The company has rolled out new 65-gallon recycling carts, in which all recyclable material can be dumped; there is no need for sorting. That figure gets translated into points redeemable for the discounts.
According to Al Yougel of Keep Peachtree City Beautiful, the recycling points are not calculated based on an individual home’s recycling weight but rather the figures are devised using the aggregate weight of all recyclables collected among the city’s customers.
The new bins are equipped with a special computer chip that allows the company to determine which households have recycled and which have not, Yougel noted.
Five points are accrued for each two pounds of recycled waste with a maximum of 450 points a month. Each 10 points equals up to $1 in reward value.
The company estimates that active recyclers can save between $100 to $200 a year with recycling points earned through the program.
Yougel said he is pleased that Republic is offering the rolling recycling bins which will be easier for citizens to roll to the curb instead of carrying the smaller tote-style bins.
“The easier you make it for people to recycle, the more people who will recycle,” Yougel said.
He is also hoping the recycling reward system pays off by increasing the recycling participation in the city.
Yougel’s only concern is the potential for confusion with the every-other-week recycling pickup schedule, but he is hopeful it won’t be much of a problem.
Participating households must activate a RecycleBank account and go to www.RecycleBank.com or call 1-888-727-2978 to redeem rewards. Citizens will also be able to donate points to local school environmental programs as well, according to the company.
