I have a confession to make. My family produces a TON (OK ... maybe only about 900 pounds) of garbage each and every week. Every week we put out a 50 gallon garbage container that is FILLED to the top. In our defense, we do have 5 permanent household members plus another 3 that visit (on occasion) from college. Still ... that IS a lot of waste.
We've tried to cut it down by buying in bulk; avoiding pre-packaged, snack sized lunch treats (although I'm not sure how much that helps given our continuous (and mysterious) loss of snack sized Tupperware containers; and, of course, recycling anything we can.
Recycling is actually now quite easy for us. All we have to do is wheel our containers of recyclables out with the trash every other week. Up until a year ago we had to haul them down to the recycling center ourselves ... which made for some pretty big piles of bottles, etc., by the time we'd get 'round to doing it. Despite how easy it is in our small town ... I still have many friends and family who still do not take the time to recycle.
This is all my long-winded way of saying ... enter RecycleBank!
Kiss My Face has recently partnered with RecycleBank and, if you don't know who they are ... you should learn (www.recyclebank.com). I honestly believe RecycleBank is going to change the way people think about their garbage.
The way this works is pretty easy. You place your recyclables out ... your waste management company weighs it as they collect it ... and you are awarded points based on the weight. The more you recycle ... the more points you get ... and the more stuff you can get by redeeming those points. And the partner companies (such as us) are offering some pretty nice stuff ... from discount coupons to out and out free merchandise. For example, Stoneyfield Farms will give you a free YoBaby Organic Yogurt for every 50 points you redeem. Given the cost of feeding kids today ... getting free yogurt is not bad. Other companies involved include Kraft, Coca-Cola, CVS, RiteAid, Dick's Sporting Goods, and, of course, yours truly.
Hmmmm ... this might even be a good way for me to FINALLY get my kids to recycle. If I let them earn the points and redeem them for whatever THEY want ... it might just take the job of recycling away from me.
Now THAT would be a minor miracle.
I think this is great that you are making recycling a family event. We just bought some bins and it is a habit change not to toss it things into the regular trachcan that can go in the recycling bins.
Posted by: Thao | February 07, 2009 at 08:17 AM
I love the sound of getting something for free...I need to share this with my In-Laws and my Father. The really sad thing is, My In-Laws and Father live in a city adjoined to mine, and they have curbside recycling, but we don't! I don't get it!
Do you have any ideas on how to get our city to start collecting recyclables, curbside?
Great article, by the way!
Posted by: Sarah Barnes | February 07, 2009 at 05:29 PM
I love the sound of getting something for free...I need to share this with my In-Laws and my Father. The really sad thing is, My In-Laws and Father live in a city adjoined to mine, and they have curbside recycling, but we don't! I don't get it!
Do you have any ideas on how to get our city to start collecting recyclables, curbside?
Great article, by the way!
Posted by: Sarah Barnes | February 07, 2009 at 05:29 PM
I love the sound of getting something for free...I need to share this with my In-Laws and my Father. The really sad thing is, My In-Laws and Father live in a city adjoined to mine, and they have curbside recycling, but we don't! I don't get it!
Do you have any ideas on how to get our city to start collecting recyclables, curbside?
Great article, by the way!
Posted by: Sarah Barnes | February 07, 2009 at 05:29 PM