Cash for Trash Spurs Recycling Boom

Nov. 18, 2008— -- When was the last time you got paid to take out the trash?

Residents of Everett, Mass., are finding the chore more rewarding as they cash in their recyclables for store coupons.

"I've already cashed in some of the points because I am a big Dunkin' Donuts coffee fan," Everett resident Susan Marino told ABC's Bob Woodruff. "And the kids like Panera [Bread restaurants], so they've used the Panera gift card already."

Watch Bob Woodruff's "Spirit of America" report tonight on "World News With Charles Gibson" at 6:30 ET.

For years, Everett city officials tried in vain to increase recycling. They considered and discarded pay-as-you-go trash collection.

But when Everett sweetened the deal this summer with coupons and gift certificates as incentives, the amount of recycled material increased tenfold.

At her curbside, Everett resident Dawn Colameta said, "A lot more people are recycling now because they get something for it."

Click here to learn more about 'cash for trash' recycling programs.

Before the cash-for-trash initiative, recycling coordinator Jon Norton said recycling participation was pitiful. Now, he couldn't be happier. "There are carts all over the city, up and down every street," he said.

Joe Barressi, crew supervisor for hauler Capitol Waste, has also noticed the difference on his Everett recycling route. "On an average day here, I picked up 3 tons," he said. "We're bringing in anywhere between 10 and 13 tons now."

The city of Everett gets rewarded, too, by saving an estimated $150,000 this year in trash disposal costs. "We are saving the city money by avoiding sending trash full of recycling to an incinerator," Norton said. "We are saving a great deal of money."

One Man's Trash Is That Man's Reward

Everett's program was pioneered by RecycleBank, a 4-year-old private company that makes money by charging cities for its services and by marketing on its Web site.

The company's concept is simple -- make recycling financially rewarding and easy.

Single-stream recycling, a requirement for participation in the RecycleBank program, allows residents to dump glass, paper, plastic and cans all in one large, 96-gallon recycling bin.