Recently we have observed the first local authority to launch an incentive scheme, organised by Local Green Points, designed to reward residents for waste reduction and increased levels of recycling.
The scheme, which began in October 2011, currently applies to 2,000 flats, although the council is considering extending the initiative to an additional 13,000 flats in the borough during 2012. The model could also work equally well with houses, and this extension may well be considered for the future.
Under this new plan, residents are offered money-off vouchers to spend at local retailers when they activate their membership online, and the opportunity also exists for ‘green points’ to be earned as a community, based on the amount they recycle, and the quantity of residual waste generated. Alternatively residents can choose to donate their points to nominated local charities.
The council measures waste and recycling levels, in the initial test area of the scheme, every three months. If a reduction in waste and an increase in recycling are observed then green points are awarded to the residents which have signed up to the initiative. At present a quarter of households in the test area have signed up to take part so far, and initial results indicate that the scheme is proving to be a success, as recycling rates in the area are already starting to improve and the first round of ‘green points’ has now been handed out to residents.
Although the initial funding for the scheme came from a number of sources the council concerned has said that the cost of the ‘green points’ scheme going forward would be offset by savings in waste disposal charges and increased income from the sale of recycled materials.
An added advantage to this type of endeavour is the way in which a sense of community and local pride can be achieved. People working together for the benefit of all demonstrate localism at its best.
Similar initiatives designed to offer rewards for increased recycling and less waste being sent to landfill are now in operation throughout the country.
In Birmingham the council have chosen to work with the loyalty card company Nectar to run a pilot paper recycling rewards scheme and Defra announced last November that sixteen councils and community organisations have won a share of £500,000 to introduce new schemes to encourage residents to recycle and reuse goods. Rewards include vouchers, donations to charities or discounts on goods or services. Recognition may include personalised feedback on individual household recycling rates or information on how the item donated for reuse had benefitted the local community.
Councils and organisations chosen to receive the funding include housing associations such as Housing 21, the National Union of Students, Gloucestershire Waste Partnership, Waste Aware North East and the London Waste Authority.
Both the Coalition Government and the Mayor of London are known to be strongly in favour of incentive and reward based schemes. It would appear that there is nothing to lose, and the opportunity exists to create many benefits from looking towards implementing some of these measures as part of a waste and recycling plan.
