Lambeth has become the first London-council to introduce the rewards-based recycling incentive scheme RecycleBank using a newly-developed model of the initiative that specifically caters for flats.
The inner London borough launched the scheme today (May 16), working in partnership with its waste collection contractor Veolia Environmental Services to allow 51,000 households to start earning points for their recycling efforts.
These points are then converted into vouchers which can be used in national retailers, as well as over 90 local reward partners who have signed up to the programme.
The scheme will work alongside Lambeths compulsory recycling system, which was introduced last month. It specifically aims to increase the awareness of recycling in multi-occupancy dwellings, or flats, where householders do not have their own recycling bin.
As such, residents receive points for registering with the scheme and then receive more points every time they tell RecycleBank they have recycled each week either online, by phone or via an iPhone app. They also receive a monthly points top-up based on how much has been recycled borough-wide.
Lower-cost
According to Veolia, this represents a lower cost version of the RecycleBank programme because, unlike that introduced in Windsor & Maidenhead and in Halton, it does not involve the use of micro-chip technology and there is nothing to retrofit on vehicles or bins.
The council has said that, alongside the introduction of compulsory recycling and other changes to its waste services, introducing RecycleBank will contribute to a saving of 600,000 on its annual 34 million waste disposal bill. The scheme is also expected to boost its recycling rate by at least 10% (see letsrecycle.com story).
Cllr Lorna Campbell, Lambeth councils cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: With residents help we have made great strides forward, increasing recycling levels across borough over the past few years, and we are confident that Recyclebank will help us to go even further.
This scheme is an important part of our plans to reduce waste costs, boost recycling and make Lambeth a cleaner and greener place to live.
The scheme is not the first time that householders in flat in Lambeth have been incentivised to recycle, with a scheme in 2001 seeing residents of the Tulse Hill estate offered 10 if they posted a slip from a booklet every time they used communal recycling points (see letsrecycle.com story).
Government support
RecycleBank, and the concept of rewarding residents for recycling in general, has received strong support from both the coalition government (see letsrecycle.com story) and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson (see letsrecycle.com story).
Incentives are also expected to feature heavily in next months Waste Review and, last month, Defra affirmed its support the use of rewards-based schemes (see letsrecycle.com story).
The political support is alluded to in an options document accompanying Lambeths recently published municipal waste strategy for 2011-2031, which states there is a high level of political support at national and regional level to introduce Recyclebank.
The council today said it would roll out the scheme to all its residents within 12 months if the flats recycling trial proves successful and if recycling metrics are achieved.
But, the same options document notes that a borough-wide roll-out would require new equipment, because, unless a bag-based version of the scheme was able to be introduced, it would involve new vehicles, wheeled bins with chips and bin lifting equipment. The document puts the cost of two new vehicles alone at 328,000.
And, it notes that, running a full-borough scheme alongside compulsory recycling would not create an overall recycling rate increase of 10%, stating: For kerbside properties there is not enough recyclate in the residual waste to add Recyclebank onto a compulsory recycling service and make it worthwhile.
Veolia
Veolia runs Lambeths waste and recycling collections under a seven-year deal which began in 2007 and the companys municipal operations director for London, Pascal Hauret, welcomed the launch of the RecycleBank scheme.
We are confident that the adaptation of the initiative to suit Lambeths requirements will also prove a great success and we look forward to the significant role Veolia will play in helping to achieve Lambeths goals, he said.
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