RecycleBank, Waste Connections Inc. Partner to Bring Rewards-for-Recycling Program to Mississippi

NEW YORK, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- RecycleBank, in a unique partnership with Waste Connections, Inc., announced today that it is heading to a new state this fall with its debut in Southaven, Miss., a suburb south of Memphis. RecycleBank — a rewards program that motivates people to take greener actions, such as household recycling, by rewarding them with points that are redeemable for rewards from local and national retailers, restaurants, pharmacies, grocers, and more — services more than one million people across 25 states and in the United Kingdom. Southaven will join more than 300 participating RecycleBank communities.

"RecycleBank is helping to create a culture that encourages people to take simple steps towards greener lifestyles," RecycleBank Vice President Fred Hannon said. "We're excited to partner with Waste Connections and expand our services to Mississippi, bringing valuable rewards to the families in Southaven, while helping the City achieve environmental solutions."

Currently, Southaven residents only have the option to recycle at one of the City's recycling convenience centers. When the household recycling program debuts in October, residents will receive new 96-gal. recycling carts and a new way to recycle — single stream — in which all recyclables go into one container. No sorting required.

"Southaven looks forward to bringing this innovative recycling solution to residents," Mayor Greg Davis said. "The larger recycling carts will allow citizens to recycle much more than they do now, and the great part is that they will be rewarded for the amount they recycle."

Similar to frequent flier programs, the more a family recycles, the more RecycleBank Points that household earns. The new carts are equipped with special tags that connect the address with individual RecycleBank accounts. Each time a household recycles, the amount is recorded and converted into RecycleBank Points, which can be used to "shop" online at www.RecycleBank.com for rewards from hundreds of businesses in more than 20 categories, including Automotive, Beauty and Health, Beverages, Entertainment, Food and Grocery, Restaurants, and Sports and Recreation. Earning points can happen quickly — one pound of material is equivalent to 2.5 points.

The rewards-for-recycling program has hundreds of partners for residents to redeem points for rewards, including Nature Made, Coca-Cola, CVS/pharmacy, Huggies, McDonald's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Dick's Sporting Goods, among others. In the coming months, RecycleBank will work to get Southaven businesses involved in the rewards program.

"By recycling, residents have the ability to earn and redeem RecycleBank points for hundreds of dollars worth of rewards, discounts and merchandise each year," Hannon added. "With the tough economy, these savings translate into real value for Southaven families. Plus, it's nice to be rewarded for doing something good."

"We look forward to servicing Southaven and encouraging residents to recycle more with RecycleBank rewards," Waste Connections District Manager Michael Welch said. "It is a win-win situation for everyone — Southaven will save money by sending less waste to the landfills, residents will reap rewards for recycling, and local businesses will see a direct impact as residents redeem rewards."

Waste Connections looks to further partner with RecycleBank in surrounding communities in the greater Memphis area.

Wilmington, Del., was the first municipality to deploy the RecycleBank program citywide in September 2007. Since then, RecycleBank has grown to service residents in Atlanta, Chicago, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, Sioux Falls, and suburbs of Boston, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Omaha among many others. Residents in these communities have collectively recycled over 284,291 tons of material, helping to save close to 35 million gallons oil, 4.2 million trees, and a reduction of 866,811 metric tonnes in carbon emissions.

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. Learn more at www.RecycleBank.com.

ABOUT WASTE CONNECTIONS, INC.

Waste Connections is an integrated solid waste services company that provides solid waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services in mostly secondary markets in the Western and Southern U.S. The Company serves more than two million residential, commercial and industrial customers from a network of operations in 26 states. We also provide intermodal services for the movement of containers in the Pacific Northwest. For more, visit www.wasteconnections.com.

ABOUT THE CITY OF SOUTHAVEN, MISSISSIPPI

The City of Southaven is one of the fastest growing cities and is the fifth largest city in the State of Mississippi. It is also one of the youngest cities, incorporated April 15, 1980 with an approximate population of 45,000. The City of Southaven continues to grow and our local economy continues to thrive. For more, visit www.southaven.org.

SOURCE RecycleBank