Halton RecycleBank trial gets underway

The six-month trial is set to see 10,000 households in the Halton borough council area given the opportunity to redeem rewards at both national chains and local shops based on the amount of material they recycle at the kerbside.

Councillor Phil Harris, executive board member for recycling for Halton borough council, said the scheme was important as it was in “everyone's interest to decrease the amount of waste sent to landfill” and was part of the council's overall goal to increase household recycling in a way that is easy and convenient for households.

He said: “Halton borough council has always believed in encouraging people to recycle and we are proud to be the first council in the North to introduce the scheme.”

Halton council agreed in August to become the second UK council to adopt RecycleBank (see letsrecycle.com story), after similar trials were launched in the Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in June 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).

Labour-led Halton's decision to trial the scheme comes in the wake of the RecycleBank model being widely praised by prominent figures in the Conservative Party, including being name-checked at the party's annual conference earlier this month (see letsrecycle.com story).

Service

Halton council currently operates a kerbside multi-material recycling collection service for 42,000 households. If the trial of the RecycleBank service proves successful the council has said it could extend it to remaining properties in the borough in summer 2010.

The pilot areas of the scheme, which is set to be carried out as part of the council's in-house collection service, are within the wards of Daresbury, Grange, Heath, Halton Castle, Broadheath, Hough Green and Halton View.

As an added incentive, residents who activate their RecyleBank account before December 31 2009 will receive 300 bonus points and earn triple points for the first three months.

The points can then be exchanged for money off goods and services at over 100 local and national shops, restaurants, and leisure and entertainment facilities. Households have the opportunity to earn on average over £135 in rewards value per year to use at partners such as British Gas, Cineworld, Marks & Spencer and Costcutter.

According to council minutes, the six month pilot will cost the council £63,700, as it involves collection vehicles being fitted with weighing equipment – to measure the amount of material each household is recycling – and will also see bins tagged with identification devices, which allow RecycleBank to log householders' addresses and tally Recycling Reward points.

Sue Igoe, UK managing director of RecycleBank, added: “We look forward to working with Halton borough council, the local business community, residents and environmental organisations to achieve the council's environmental goals and increase recycling rates among the community”.