The City of Philadelphia and Recyclebank Selected for Outstanding Public/Private Partnerships Award

PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Philadelphia and Recyclebank® announced they have been selected for the Outstanding Award in Public/Private Partnerships by the United States Conference of Mayors. The award honors the partnership's success in its commitment to building a more sustainable city by increasing recycling participation among community members and diverting more waste from landfills.

The award was presented Saturday, January 19, at the United States Conference of Mayors 81st Winter Meeting. The Excellence in Public/Private Partnership Awards were established by the United States Conference of Mayors to recognize the achievements made possible by the partnerships between the member companies of the Mayors Business Council and cities across the nation. Michael A. Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia and Erika Diamond, vice president of community solutions at Recyclebank, accepted the award.

"As Philadelphia strives to be the greenest city in America, we are focused on forging partnerships that help us reach our sustainability goals, increase community engagement and stimulate the local economy," said Mayor Nutter. "In working with us to create Philadelphia Recycling Rewards, Recyclebank has been a strong partner and has helped Philadelphia to reach new heights of urban sustainability and national environmental leadership."

"Philadelphia's strides in building a more sustainable and smarter city is testament to the impact that partnerships between public entities and private corporations can create," said Diamond. "By rewarding residents for taking more everyday green actions like recycling, Philadelphia has increased recycling rates in the face of stagnant national average rates and helped residents realize the financial benefits of making more sustainable choices."

City of Philadelphia and Recyclebank Partnership

In spring 2007, the City of Philadelphia made a commitment to sustainability by expanding its recycling program, switching to a single-stream recycling system. In February 2010, the city furthered its commitment by partnering with Recyclebank and offering more than 520,000 household residents the opportunity to get rewarded for recycling at home with the program Philadelphia Recycling Rewards. In addition to rewards for recycling, the partnership has raised awareness and education for recycling, both critical components to recycling behavior change. Because of these combined efforts, the city has increased the total amount of residential recycling collected over the past three years by nearly 55,000 tons and its curbside recycling diversion rate is up three percentage points.

Philadelphia Recycling Rewards, powered by Recyclebank, rewards residents for recycling with discounts and deals from locally-based businesses and national brands. For more information on the program, please visit www.phillyrecyclingpays.com.

ABOUT CITY OF PHILADELPHIA

For more information on the City of Philadelphia, visit http://www.phila.gov/Pages/default.aspx.

ABOUT RECYCLEBANK

Recyclebank helps create a more sustainable future by rewarding people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from more than 4,000 local businesses and national brands. Through its online platform and partnerships with municipalities, haulers, small businesses and corporate brands, Recyclebank empowers individuals to make a collective impact on the environment by increasing household recycling and taking other environmentally-friendly actions. A Certified B Corporation, Recyclebank has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Program 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.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Kate Hagedorn | City of Philadelphia
(215) 686-6210 | [email protected]

Suzanne Block | Bateman Group for Recyclebank
(415) 697-2572 | [email protected]

Jeff Harse | Recyclebank
(212) 659-6491 | [email protected]

SOURCE Recyclebank