Los Angeles is Largest City to Partner With RecycleBank

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa announced today that the City of Los Angeles has partnered with RecycleBank®, an incentive program that rewards households for Blue Bin recycling. The program, which is being made available without charge as a pilot to 15,000 single family homes along selected routes in the West Valley and North Central sections of the city, is designed to encourage additional Blue Bin recycling, increase recycling rates and put meaningful savings in the pockets of participating residents.

"The City of Los Angeles has worked tirelessly to ensure that recycling is accessible to every single resident. Los Angeles' ambitious environmental agenda is one of the reasons why we already recycle more than any other big city in America and why we will be the cleanest, greenest big city in America," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "To reach our goal of zero waste, we are building innovative partnerships that will employ outside resources. We are proud to be the biggest city to work with RecycleBank, since the program will motivate residents to recycle more and will pump money directly back into the local economy."

RecycleBank measures the amount of material recycled in a community and converts that amount into points that can be redeemed for rewards at hundreds of local and national RecycleBank Reward Partners. Rewards come in the form of groceries, gift cards, school supplies, restaurants and much more. RecycleBank works to get the 'Mom and Pop Shops' on Main Streets across the city involved so residents will see real savings right in their back yard, while helping the local economy. There is also an option to donate your reward points to local schools through the RecycleBank Green Schools Program. National RecycleBank partners include retailers and brands such as Kraft Foods, Dick's Sporting Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ruby Tuesday and CVS/pharmacy.

"RecycleBank will bring meaningful value for the residents of Los Angeles. On average, our members earn hundreds of dollars in reward value each year through their recycling efforts. RecycleBank continues to demonstrate that when financial incentives are aligned, people will make the better environmental choice," said Ron Gonen, CEO of RecycleBank. "We look forward to working with Mayor Villaraigosa, the local business community, local community and environmental organizations and households to achieve LA's environmental goals."

The goal of the pilot program is to elevate environmental stewardship, personal responsibility and volunteer action in recycling on a community wide basis. Residents in the pilot areas must sign up for their personal RecycleBank account, either online or by phone, to begin earning their reward points. Reward points will be earned on a community weight based approach with points and rewards shared equally with participating households on each collection route. Once a RecycleBank member, program participants can redeem their points online at www.RecycleBank.com, where they can also learn about their personal environmental footprint through recycling. Participants can also access their account information by calling the toll free RecycleBank Customer Care Center, 1 (888) 727-2978.

The 12-month pilot program will be studied by the Department of Public Works' Bureau of Sanitation, which implements the city's solid waste recycling and collection programs. The City will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the program in raising its leading 65-percent diversion rate of residential and commercial waste out of the nation's ten largest cities. No money from the city's general fund will pay for the pilot program. Citywide, the residential Blue Bin recycling program collects an average of 4,600 tons of recyclables every week or more than 240,000 tons annually.

Currently, RecycleBank services more than one million people across 25 states and also provides service in the United Kingdom. These households have cumulatively saved more than 4.3 million trees and more than 292 million gallons of oil through their recycling efforts.

About RecycleBank

RecycleBank® motivates people to recycle and rewards consumers for taking greener actions 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. With new products and services like residential recycling, product reuse, expanded e-waste recycling, responsible disposal or simply focusing on using what already exists in the world today, we believe that making greener choices shouldn't feel at all like a trade off. It should be a trade up, and so RecycleBank rewards you 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 and as a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environmental Programme. RecycleBank is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.RecycleBank.com.

About City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation

The Bureau of Sanitation delivers waste management resources and services that protect the public's health and environment in the City of Los Angeles. The Bureau is responsible for three major program areas – solid resources, wastewater to clean-water and watershed protection – that day-to-day conveniently and invisibly safeguard residents and the environment. Through its 2,700 employees, the Bureau answers to and serves the second most populated city in the nation with more than four million residents in a 468 square mile area. For more information, visit www.lacitySAN.org.

SOURCE RecycleBank