Cincinnati Debuts Enhanced Recycling Program

CINCINNATI, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory gathered today with City officials and business partners in Annwood Park in the O'Bryonville/Evanston area to celebrate the launch of the City's enhanced recycling program, which includes larger recycling carts, every-other-week collection and the ability to earn rewards for recycling. The program officially starts this week for about 25 percent of the city residences.

"We're proud to further the City's commitment to environmental quality and unveil this enhanced recycling program," Mayor Mallory said. "People are looking for creative and new ways to become more 'green' in their everyday lives. The larger recycling carts allow for more recycling, make it easier to get recyclables to the curb, and the lid helps prevent litter. Every-other-week collection is expected to save the City money, and residents will be rewarded for how much they recycle through RecycleBank."

"By adopting new technology and proven strategies, I am confident we will double the volume of recyclables collected and reach our 25 percent diversion goal by 2013," Cincinnati's Office of Environmental Quality Director Larry Falkin added. "It is our responsibility to be caretakers of the Earth. Our enhanced recycling program takes us one step closer to ensuring that our city, our state, our planet, will be healthy today and for generations to come."

"Rumpke is committed to providing a complete solution to handling our region's waste. Disposal and recycling are both necessary components of that equation. We are always searching for new recycling technology and programs to encourage communities to recycle more," Rumpke Vice President Jeff Rumpke said. "We are pleased to partner with the City on this innovative recycling program, and look forward to continued progress toward more recycling.

The four-phase rollout of new recycling carts began in September and citywide implementation will continue through February 2011.

RecycleBank is a rewards program that motivates people to take greener actions, like household recycling, by rewarding them with points that are redeemable online for rewards from local and national retailers, restaurants, pharmacies, grocers and more. Similar to frequent flier programs, the more a community recycles, the more RecycleBank Points participating households earn. Single- or multi-family residences with Cincinnati curbside trash service are eligible to participate in the program free of charge.

It was also announced today that Procter & Gamble's Future Friendly has partnered with RecycleBank in rewarding residents for their green actions. When residents register their free RecycleBank account at www.RecycleBank.com, they will receive a $5-off reward towards the purchase of any Future Friendly product from the P&G eStore, while supplies last.

"Saving water, saving energy, and reducing waste are the three tenets of Future Friendly," P&G Associate Marketing Director Maurice Coffey said. "Supporting the launch of Cincinnati's enhanced recycling program helps us bring that conservation to our local community, and shows how all of us can take simple steps that collectively add up to a big, positive impact on the environment."

Residents can choose to redeem their RecycleBank Points online from hundreds of reward partners. Local partners include Dewey's Pizza, City Barbeque, Long John Silver's, Park + Vine, Graeter's, Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Zoo, Half Price Books, Pipkin's Market, and more. National reward partners include The Coca-Cola Company®, Nature Made®, LeapFrog, Friskies® Cat Food, Old Navy, Kashi, eBay, Yoplait, Staples, Barbara's, Bed Bath & Beyond and more.

"When communities come together for the greater good, they can accomplish amazing things. By encouraging greener behavior through incentives, people will recycle more, helping to save precious resources. In addition, by redeeming the RecycleBank rewards locally, residents are providing a direct stimulus to local businesses," RecycleBank Midwest Vice President Atul Nanda said. "RecycleBank brings residents environmental solutions with direct economic benefits, while helping municipalities recycle to their fullest potential and save money through waste diversion."

The City is using $750,000 from the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) awarded to Cincinnati through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), or "Stimulus Act", to manage the program and to purchase the new recycling carts.

ABOUT THE CITY OF CINCINNATI

The City of Cincinnati government is comprised of over 5,000 employees, dedicated to maintaining the highest quality of life for the people of Cincinnati. The City is focused on economic development to create jobs and pursues partnerships to help create opportunities that benefit Cincinnati's residents, diverse businesses and visitors. As part of these pursuits, The Green Cincinnati Plan, first developed in June of 2008, includes the City's goal of increasing recycling. The day-to-day business of operating the City is the responsibility of the City Manager, who functions as the Chief Administrator for the City. The paramount responsibilities of the City Manager are executing the policy set by the Mayor and City Council, delivering services to the citizens and customers of the City of Cincinnati, managing government finances, and providing continuity of government and support to the Mayor and Members of City Council. For more information, visit www.cincinnati-oh.gov.

ABOUT RUMPKE

Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc. has been committed to keeping neighborhoods and businesses clean and green since 1932 by providing environmentally friendly waste disposal solutions. Headquartered in Colerain Township, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati, Rumpke is one of the nation's largest privately owned residential and commercial waste and recycling firms, providing service to areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. Rumpke's founders began recycling in the 1930s removing rags, glass and metals from collected waste. The items were reused or recycled. Today, Rumpke is one of the leading recycling service providers locally. Rumpke offers complete recycling services including commingle, construction, tire, e-waste and universal waste recycling services. Rumpke owns eight recycling centers and one permanent tire recycling facility. Rumpke divisions include Rumpke Recycling, Rumpke Portable Restrooms, The William-Thomas Group, Rumpke Hydraulics, Rumpke Haul-it-Away and Rumpke Park. For more information, visit www.rumpke.com.

ABOUT CASCADE ENGINEERING

Cascade Cart Solutions is a division of Cascade Engineering that services the solid waste and recycling industry. Based in Grand Rapids, Mich., Cascade Engineering is a leader in the development, engineering and manufacturing of plastics solutions for multiple industries, including the renewable energy, automotive, furniture, and solid waste and recycling markets. The Company is a strong advocate for sustainable business practices that emphasize the key role business can play in building financial, social and environmental capital. For more information, visit www.cascadecartsolutions.com.

ABOUT RECYCLEBANK

RecycleBank® motivates people to take greener actions and rewards consumers with points that can be redeemed from participating local and national business partners. Through collaboration and innovation, RecycleBank is helping to create a culture that encourages people to take simple steps towards greener lifestyles like residential recycling, electronic-waste recycling, home energy conservation and more. We believe that making greener choices shouldn't at all feel like a trade off—it should be a trade up—and RecycleBank rewards its members every step of the way. RecycleBank currently provides service to over one million people across the U.S. and the U.K. and has been recognized with a number of business and environmental awards, including being named as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, as a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environmental Programme, and for Outstanding Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. RecycleBank is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.RecycleBank.com.

ABOUT FUTURE FRIENDLY

P&G's Future Friendly is a program that empowers consumers to save energy, save water and reduce waste, using science, innovation and unique partnerships to achieve meaningful environmental impacts. The P&G Future Friendly program is a direct extension of P&G's long-term commitment and disciplined, science-based approach to environmental sustainability. Through the program, P&G is better able to share these solutions with consumers so they can realize the benefits in their own homes. Sustainability is core to P&G's purpose to Touch and Improve the Lives of the Worlds' Consumers, Now and for Generations to Come.

SOURCE RecycleBank