Ealing implements recycling reward scheme

Ealing Council and recycling reward scheme Greenredeem (formerly Recyclebank) rolled out a new recycling reward scheme across the London borough yesterday (1 April).

Ealing has become the largest authority in London to implement the Residents Rewards programme, which awards points to the council’s 130,000 households for recycling with Greenredeem or for ‘other everyday green actions,’ which include making environmental pledges on the reward website, or taking an environment-based quiz.

Funded through part of the council’s £1.1 million grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Weekly Collection Support Scheme, the system aims to encourage recycling and help Ealing reach its target of recycling 50 per cent of household waste by 2020.

Every Ealing household registering to take part will be given 100 points and will earn 50 more points for visiting the website to learn about the scheme.

For every week that a person tells Greenredeem that they have recycled, they will earn 10 points. A bonus will be given to all residents that have reported their recycling, based on the weight collected in the community, and will also include an element for a reduction in the amount of waste collected.

Points can be exchanged for vouchers to spend in local shops and leisure facilities as well as national shops. For example, 65 points is worth a ‘buy one get one free’ offer from Pizza Dodo, or at the higher end, 185 points can earn the recycler two-for-one entry to Surrey’s bird park and gardens, Birdworld.

Participants can also use their points to sponsor a local community project. In total ten Ealing projects are seeking support through the Greenredeem scheme at launch. Through the course of the year donated points from Ealing residents will be amalgamated and converted into cash grants for these projects.

Commenting on the initiative at the roll out event yesterday, Council Leader Julian Bell said: “Ealing Council is committed to cutting waste and supporting green action in the borough. We believe that incentive based schemes are a vital way to reward those households that support our community efforts. Through Greenredeem’s Resident Rewards scheme we want to create a cycle of positive green action and community good.

“It’s win-win for local businesses getting involved, not only are they boosting their green credentials, but as Ealing’s 130,000 households start to redeem their points businesses will see a boost in custom too.”

Greenredeem has similar schemes currently operating in The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham Borough Council, Halton Borough Council and Lambeth Council.

Rob Crumbie from Greenredeem, commented: “We’re delighted Ealing Council is taking such positive steps to encourage green action. In other parts of the UK, Greenredeem’s reward schemes have already increased recycling rates by three times the national average, improving the local environment, helping local businesses and saving local councils money through reduced landfill taxes, which can then be reinvested in the local community.”

‘Unclear’ if incentive schemes are beneficial

The effectiveness of incentive schemes such as this have been called into question, though, with environmental consultancy agency Eunomia Research & Consulting releasing a report into the effects of incentive schemes in February.

The report, commissioned by services provider Serco, outlined that there is currently no proof that recycling incentive schemes are ‘value for money’, or that they have a ‘clear’ impact on recycling rates or residual waste arisings.

Indeed, the ‘Investigating the Impact of Recycling Incentive schemes’ report suggested that some current UK reward schemes (outside of those covered by Defra’s Reward and Recognition Funded), could actually cost more than the ‘evaluated benefits they deliver’.

The report reads: ‘Value for money is unproven although some of the cheaper schemes are closer to offering cost benefits through reduced disposal costs and increased material revenues. Furthermore, most schemes appear, from the incomplete data available to us, to cost more to operate than the evaluated benefits they deliver.

‘Ultimately, schemes are seen to vary in terms of the impact that they have and this analysis has not revealed any particular patterns as a means of explaining this variance.’

Read more about Greenredeem.