Marietta Participates in National Recycling Challenge

Americans recycle only one-and-a-half pounds of the more than four pounds of waste they generate daily, adding unnecessary waste to our nation’s landfills. In an effort to help slow this trend and inspire waste reduction efforts, Marietta is participating in the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge, a nationwide contest that aims to increase household recycling participation in 50 communities across the United States.

The community with the highest reported recycling participation will receive a $100,000 grant from SC Johnson to put toward a local sustainability project. The Challenge kicks off a new partnership with Recyclebank, a company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals.

“Marietta is thrilled to be representing Georgia in the SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge as it is the perfect way to kick-start the new recycling rewards program and local participation,” said Mayor Steve Tumlin.

“We encourage everyone to get involved—residents will have the opportunity to protect the environment, invigorate the local economy and help keep Marietta clean, while earning everyday savings from Recyclebank and working toward the grant from SC Johnson. We hope our citizens take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to have our citizens rewarded for recycling.”

Marietta joins more than 300 communities across the United States and the U.K. that have implemented Recyclebank to help increase recycling rates through incentives and reward residents with deals on everyday household and grocery items.

How to Participate

To participate, Marietta residents need to sign up for a free Recyclebank account and report their recycling activity. Residents can visit recyclebank.com/greenchoices and follow the prompts to get started.

Once a Recyclebank member, residents can report their recycling efforts each week on the Recyclebank website to earn points. Residents can also use the Recyclebank smartphone app on their iPhone and Android.

In order for a resident’s recycling activity to count towards the Challenge, residents must report their recycling efforts at least once a month. A leaderboard at recyclebank.com/greenchoices will track progress each month, and the winning community will be announced in January 2013.

What Residents Get From Recyclebank

Recyclebank is similar to a frequent flyer program; rather, members instead earn points for living a more sustainable lifestyle.

Members can use those points to “shop” at Recyclebank.com for rewards such as discounts and deals from hundreds of reward partners in more than 10 categories including food and beverage, health, beauty, home, clothing, accessories and gifts.

Available rewards include deals on a suite of SC Johnson brands such as Ziploc, Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, Glade and discounts from retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy’s and restaurants like Olive Garden.

Over the course of a year, an average family can earn hundreds of points; this can translate into more than $160 annually.

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