Michigan City Quadruples Recycling with Recyclebank

Officials in the city of Rochester Hills, Mich., said its recycling has more than quadrupled in the past five years since its partnership with Recyclebank, and it has renewed the relationship for another five years.

Rochester Hills said in a news release that the city has expanded its household recycling program and implemented single-stream collection since 2008, when it partnered with the New York-based Recyclebank, which provides resident discounts and has partnered with Republic Services Inc. The moves have resulted in a 323 percent increase in the pounds recycled for the city.

Rochester Hills said it was the first community in the Midwest to offer Recyclebank’s program.

Since 2009, Rochester Hills residents have increased recycling to an average rate of 670 pounds per household per year, with a 27-percent diversion rate. Overall, Rochester Hills has collected nearly 22 thousand incremental recycling tons since April 2009.

The combination of money saved by residents and spent at local businesses from the reward redemption totals more than $1.9 million since January 2011.