RecycleBank: Getting Paid to Recycle

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

07 May 2009 10:26 AM

Yesterday morning, there was great anticipation in our household while we expected a large arrival. I had just signed up for our local RecycleBank (http://www.recyclebank.com) program, and we were awaiting our new large recycling container, complete with RDIF chip.

Through the RecycleBank program, our household will be rewarded for recycling. The amount of recycling that we do is directly related to the number of rewards. The literature that I received said that good recyclers could earn hundreds of dollars worth of rewards in a year.

The RecycleBank website and the literature about the program doesn't go into great detail about exactly what these rewards are, but they appear to be along the lines of coupons for free or discounted products. There might be gift cards as well. But I won't really know what rewards can be had until I am part of the program. We are still waiting for instructions on how to register. Until we register, we cannot collect reward points.

Originally, this made me a bit unsure of participating. After all, we already recycle quite a bit just for the sake of recycling, so the rewards wouldn't be an incentive. Also, there is a $3 a month fee in order to participate. I wonder if this fee would be more than the value of the rewards, especially if the only rewards are for discounted products that I wouldn't purchase anyway.

So, with all of that, why did we decide to participate? It was simple convenience. The amount of recycling that we have it getting too large to accommodate, and we simply needed the larger container. We normally have recycling pick up twice a month, during which we fill up all of our available bins. In contrast, we have garbage pick up twice a week, but rarely have more than one kitchen trash bag of garbage a week.

So meanwhile, we will continue to try and reduce the amount of garbage and the amount that needs to be recycled, and we will try the program.

Does anyone participate in RecycleBank? If so, tell me your thoughts.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

Related Articles:

Green Home Tips

6 Ways to Reuse Cereal Box Liners

Reuse Review: Common Household Items

Reusing Tin Cans

Graves are a Solar Energy Source

Smart Solutions for Non Recyclables

Disposing of CFLs

Hidden Energy Hogs

Collecting Rainwater

Are Organic Garden Products Misleading?

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger