Even if saving the environment isn’t their primary concern, Randwick residents are still helping thanks to a new recycling scheme that rewards residents when they put recyclable rubbish into their yellow bins.
The pilot scheme, run by GreenMoney, hopes that $5 dollar coupons will encourage residents to recycle and reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill, such as by using reusable shopping bags.
GreenMoney’s Camilla Cooke said that for each kilogram of rubbish in the recycling bin, the resident would receive 10 points. The points then convert into coupons that can be used locally.
“A carrot or stick approach is needed for the average person on the street. But we can’t penalise people for not recycling,” said Ms Cooke. “Pensioners love the coupons. And a typical family would save $400 a year.”
She went on to say that the same initiative has worked well in other places, such as in the US where three million customers are involved. “Even a five per cent diversion rate from landfill will save Randwick City Council $590,000 a year,” said Ms Cooke.
Source: http://southern-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/recycle-and-score/