The pilot program starts next month in Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, West Oak Lane and Germantown, and brings marketing bells and whistles to recycling. It'll be operated for free by RecycleBank, a non-profit, and Blue Mountain Recycling.
The 30 stores and restaurants that offer the discount coupons get free advertising. A household could earn up to $25 a month in coupons. For each 10 pounds of recycled goods, a household will receive $5 worth of coupons.
But the need for such a program points out that Philadelphia has some issues when it comes to getting residents to think more consciously and act more decisively about recycling.
It isn't just about being lazy. As pointed out this week by Daily News writer Ramona Smith, two problem have been confusion and inconsistency. Residents have faced recycling schedules that bounced around over the years, and lax enforcement of recycling laws that carry fines of up to $300.
It takes a while to get into a recycling rhythm. Even conscientious households need to get into the habit of filling their recycling bins every other week, depending on whether it's a "blue" or "green" week. So a little incentive may be just the thing.
And, overall, the strapped-for-cash city benefits because more efficient and economic recycling collections could bring down trash-collection costs. The city makes about $1 million on recyclables.
We hate to think that money, not civic pride, will have to be the catalyst to get more folks to recycle. But we're realists. The more convenient and stable recycling becomes the better. And a little money incentive can't hurt. *
