Recycling rewards company, Greenredeem, has announced that it has taken over the UK division of the US company, Recycle Rewards Inc, in a attempt to further ‘motivate people to recycle outside their place of work’.
The deal, completed yesterday (25 April), means that Greenredeem – an autonomous division of privately owned waste management company Grundon – is now in control of Recycle Rewards Ltd, owner of Recyclebank UK.
Greenredeem currently operates a ‘reverse vending machine’ business and recycling reward scheme through which people are given points to redeem as prizes every time they feed a can or bottle into a Greenredeem kiosk.
In much the same way, Recyclebank offers householders ‘Recyclebank points’ every time their wheelie bin is picked up. Points can then be exchanged for incentives such as gift vouchers and online discounts.
Following news that the UK’s ‘first’ food recycling reward scheme has launched in conjunction with Recyclebank, incentives for recycling are now available in four UK councils: Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Halton borough, London Borough of Lambeth and Wokingham Borough Council.
Furthermore, Recyclebank currently operates a ‘Green Schools Programme’ through which those collecting ‘Recyclebank points’ can donate those they have collected to schools, enabling them to win grants of up to £1000 for ‘green projects’.
‘Powerful consumer brand’
According to Greenredeem, the acquisition will see the two companies ‘each operate on a business-as-usual basis for the next few months’, before ‘the launch of a powerful consumer brand’, which is expected to improve take up of the reward scheme among local authorities.
Business Development Manager at Greenredeem, Matthew Ball, said: “We see huge potential for bringing together Recycle Rewards and Greenredeem onto the same platform.
“At Greenredeem we’ve always been keen to innovate through constant appraisal of market trends and investment in R&D [research and development]. Adding the knowledge and experience of how to motivate people to recycle more at home will create a fantastic green future.”
Director of Marketing and Communications at Recycle Rewards, Rob Crumbie, added: “Over the last couple of years, we have seen recycling rates in England start to slow.
“Knowing that our members could be rewarded for recycling ‘on the go’, as well as at home in the future, can only be good for the future of recycling in the UK, and for the environment.”
Read more about Greenredeem and Recyclebank UK
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.