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Plus or Minus: Nutter to launch Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
Plus or Minus: Nutter to launch Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program
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The program will start in North Philly and then roll out by sanitation area starting in February, 2010.
The event tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 3, will go down at the Strawberry Mansion Neighborhood Action Center, Outside in adjacent courtyard, 2829 West Diamond St., and will feature Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler, Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson, Sustainability director Katherine Gajewski, Councilman Darrell Clark and Ron Gonen, co-founder and CEO of RecycleBank, the company that'll run the rewards program.
Nutter will sign up for a rewards account live on a laptop.
While it seems a no-brainer, this recycling incentives thing is tricky business. As our own Loose Canon Bruce Schimmel wrote last year, when a RecycleBank pilot program in Chestnut Hill and Oak Lane was dumped: "It's hard to imagine that encouraging more consumption, even of recyclables, will make for less waste."
What say you? Will this program be good for Philadelphia, or will the unintended consequence be tons more waste?
Read the city's full press release after the jump.
Mayor Michael Nutter Unveils Philadelphia Recycling Rewards Program at Press Event in North Philadelphia
The City of Philadelphia’s Recycling Rewards program allows city residents to get redeemable points for curbside recycling
WHAT: City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the Philadelphia Recycling Office will announce the launch of the City’s Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program. This incentive based recycling program will allow city residents that participate in curbside recycling to earn points that can be used for discounts, full value gifts cards or charitable contributions at dozens of local and national merchants and non-profits.
The press event and official announcement will take place in North Philadelphia, which is the first section of the City that will be able to participate in Philadelphia Recycling Rewards. Philadelphia Recycling Rewards will roll out by sanitation areas starting in February 2010. Residents that sign-up for the program prior to February 2010 will receive 100 bonus points.
Philadelphia Recycling Rewards will be the largest incentive based recycling program in the United States and is anticipated to divert thousands of tons of materials away from costly land fills, saving tax payers millions while they earn rewards for themselves. The program is a partnership of the Streets Department’s Recycling Office and RecycleBank.
Mayor Michael A. Nutter will be joined by Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler, Department of Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson, Director of Sustainability Katherine Gajewski, Councilman Darrell Clarke and Co-founder and CEO of RecycleBank Ron Gonen. Remarks will be made regarding the benefits of the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program and the ease for city residents to sign-up for the program and begin collecting redeemable points.
Representatives from nearly 30 participating merchants and organizations will attend the event and talk with residents about how they will be able to use their redeemable points at their businesses. Vendors will distribute food. In total, more than 100 representatives from these businesses are expected to be at the announcement.
This will be a highly visual event that will feature remarks from the City of Philadelphia’s top officials. Visual opportunities will include:
- Mayor Michael A. Nutter signing-up for a Philadelphia Recycling Rewards account via a laptop
- Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson demonstrating how recycling participation is recorded and points earned
- Philadelphia Recycling Rewards sticker that participating residents will receive to place on their recycling container
- North Philadelphia residents signing-up for the program
- Mural Arts Program-designed recycling trucks
- Participating merchants
- Hundreds of recycling advocates and individuals representing participating businesses
There will also be interview opportunities with all of the event speakers and city residents that are present to receive information about the program.
City residents and merchants that would like to participate in Philadelphia Recycling Rewards should visit www.PhillyRecyclingPAYS.com or call 1-888-769-7960.
WHO:
- City of Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter
- City of Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Rina Cutler
- Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson, City of Philadelphia Department of the Streets Commissioner
- City of Philadelphia Councilman Darrell Clarke
- Katherine Gajewski, City of Philadelphia Director of Sustainability
- Ron Gonen, Co-founder and CEO of RecycleBank
- Philadelphia recycling advocates
- North Philadelphia residents
- Members of the Philadelphia Recycling Office
- Members of the RecycleBank
WHEN: Thursday, December 3
1 p.m.
WHERE: Strawberry Mansion Neighborhood Action Center
Outside in adjacent courtyard
2829 West Diamond Street
Philadelphia, PA 19121
PARKING: Street parking will be available for all members of the media
We have had RecycleBank in Wilmington here for a couple of years, so I can speak about my experience. The program certainly doesn't increase consumption; it simply rewards tdesihe red behavior - putting all your recyclable out and in the right place. I have always been a recycler, so the seeing the program introduced here was fantastic. My girlfriend has become much more conscious of her own recycling, as have others - but the incentive of coupons, gifts, and other donated items drive her behavior. Whatever works. We usually get movie tickets to the local independent cinema, but there are coupons at ACME. The rewards are capped, and the likelihood of stealing recyclables is slim - it never crossed my mind (although we tend to bring back recyclables from family who live in places where they don't have recycling programs at all).
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@walking home: think of it like this -- sure, recycling was fun before, but now it's even more fun! eh, the slogan needs some work, i guess @ambiguator: hmmmmmm. interesting point. I suspect RecycleBank has encountered this issue, tho I don't seem to be able to find an answer on their FAQ page.
Does this mean the city will actually start picking up my recycling, instead of throwing it in with the trash truck? Or maybe it means that my neighbors will steal my recyclables now.
another example of those who have been doing something all along getting nothing for it. how about making it retroactive? never again will i involve myself with another city initiative until i get a gift card for it.
Schimmel has got it wrong. The program encourages people to take materials out of their trash and put in the recyling. No one is really gonna buy more stuff cause they are getting a discount or a gift card.
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