Recyclebank, which claims to to inspire and reward smarter, everyday choices for a more sustainable future, has named Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills, MI “Mayor of the Year” as part of the first annual Recyclebank Awards.
The awards recognizes one “Mayor of the Year” and participating U.S. cities and towns that go above and beyond expectations to “slash the trash” by promoting recycling efforts and recycling education.
Mayor Barnett was the first to bring Recyclebank to Michigan in 2009 and has proactively engaged city residents through a “hands-on” approach, Recyclebank says. This included ensuring that Rochester Hills schools participated in the Recyclebank Green Schools program, selecting the best possible reward options for residents and quarterly participation in Rewards program outreach and strategy planning.
A champion of recycling efforts, Mayor Barnett has supported the Recyclebank program to help make it the Midwest’s leading municipal account and securing the highest percentage of overall members who redeem their Recyclebank rewards in the region. From April 2009 to April 2015, Rochester Hills has diverted more than 76 tons of materials from the landfill and residents have earned more than $15 million in rewards.
Recyclebank gave the “Outstanding Achievement in Education and Outreach” award to the Department of Sanitation for the city of Wilmington, DE, for demonstrating a high level of commitment to interact with and educate residents at every possible opportunity.
A Recyclebank community since 2006, Recyclebank says Wilmington is a “stellar example” of how a community-based recycling program can benefit all residents. Beyond the traditional means of keeping information current on their website, this division also attends community meetings, has a public presence in the community and takes the required time to craft and deliver messaging to the community on the proper ways to recycle, Recyclebank notes.
The award for “Outstanding Support of a New Program Launch” went to Derry Township, PA, for its widespread support of the Recyclebank program, which launched there in January. Within two weeks of the start of the program, 25 percent of residents had signed up.
Derry Township also embraced the program as a measurable way to increase recycling efforts and collaborate with local businesses and their waste hauler, Waste Management. The Recyclebank program encourages residents to recycle more and was chosen as an ideal way to help the city receive increased recycling performance grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
In 2014, Recyclebank marked its 10-year anniversary by announcing that it had partnered with more than 300 communities across the US who recycled nearly 1.5 billion pounds of waste in 2013 alone. Recyclebank members also took more than 21.6 million environmentally responsible actions for a total of $60 million in rewards value earned in 2013, achieving real-world impact.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Jun 23, 2015 12am EDT / 9pm PDT / 5am BST / 6am CEST