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Get Paid to Recycle
By Daphne | April 15, 2008
Should people be paid to recycle?
In select cities on the East Coast people are being paid to recycle through a program called Recycle Bank. Those who live in select cities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, Massachusetts or New York may sign up to get information about receiving rewards for recycling. These rewards are tangible, in addition to the intangibles: decreasing pollution and decreasing the amount of waste in landfills.
Through the program, registered users put their recyclables into a container which has a barcode which is read and the amount of recycles is determined and then coupons for money saving discounts are sent to the participant.
For those who have to separate their recyclables this seems like an interesting program. The biggest problem is that if people only recycle because of the incentives then what will happen after they decide that the time expended recylcing is not worth the effort? People who were already recycling as part of their lifestyles they will probably still recycle. What happens when the benefits cease to be as enticing to those who are primarily interested in the rewards?
Generally, incentive programs are not wealth creation systems but merely a small remuneration offered to people for doing something. Just like the small change that was given for pop bottles or the “deposit” that you get back after you return a tray or special container to a retailer.
The more you recycle, the more you can earn. RecycleBank.com states that you can earn up to $35 recycle bank dollars a month. Of course this is all based on the premise that you are already doing something great - trying to save the Earth.
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Topics: April 2008 |