Does it pay to recycle? It could if you are a member of Recyclebank.
It sounds like a place where you go to get recycled money or something, but Recyclebank can pay you for being green. Recyclebank was started in 2004 by Patrick K. FitzGerald and Ron Gonen. It started merely as a recycling program for a couple of Philadelphia neighborhoods. The premise behind it was that you get paid points to recycle then those points could be used for discounts and deals from local and national businesses.
The company grew and soon expanded to other cities. It also expanded its scope of what could be done to help the environment. Instead of just recycling, members were paid points for saving energy, using their car less, and buying green products. Since its inception, Recyclebank has acquired GreenYour, a green living site, and Greenopolis, a social recycling program.
The more than 3 million members today can also enter green contests, take quizzes, and interact through Facebook and Twitter to earn more points.
This seemed like such a cool concept, I decided to join. But, you may be wondering what you purchase with your points before you decide to join. There are weekly rewards. For example, this week only, 50 points can save you 50% off gummies at SmartyPants Gummy. Other reward categories include Green Your Season (where 100 points will save you 20% off your order at the Scholastic Store), Apparels and Accessories (where 50 points will save $5 off your next $20 purchase at Once Upon a Child), Gift and Flowers (where 60 points will get you a ‘buy one get one free’ coupon from MokuGift), Music and Magazines (where 100 points will get you four magazine subscriptions for $2 each), and Restaurants (where 30 points gets you a free Chick-fil-a sandwich with purchase of a large drink and waffle fries).
So next time you think it won’t pay you to be green and recycle, remember Recyclebank!