French Start-ups Reward Residents for Recycling

French Start-ups Reward Residents for Recycling

We all know we should recycle more, but we might be a little lackadaisical about it at times. So what would encourage you to do it the right way every time?

What about if you received a reward for recycling correctly? This is just what one French start-up has come up with.

Terradona offers free gifts to people who sort their waste correctly. They have developed a smart box called Cliiink which attaches to the bin and gives them points when they put an item in the correct recycling bin, which they can then redeem in various shops.

Encouraging people to recycle

66% of People in France don’t recycle correctly, so they are lagging behind the Belgians and the Germans, who have very robust recycling systems.

The start-ups are focusing on tackling the waste people produce at home, before it even gets to a recycling facility, as this is a crucial link in the system. The Terradona reward system gives people more points when they recycle more waste, it’s that simple.

How does Cliiink work?

Residents have to connect to the Cliiink box via a mobile app or contactless card. They can then earn points for every item they put in the bin. The points can be redeemed in different shops or they can even be given to charity, and this means that people begin to see a value in waste and sorting it correctly.

The Cliiink box was tested in 4 districts; Chateauneuf-les-Martigues, Lambesc, Septemes les Vallons and the 9th arrondissement in Marseille for 18 months, and the result was an overall 20% increase in the volume of waste that was sorted correctly.

Veolia partnership

Terradona have begun a partnership with the waste management firm Veolia, and the local authorities could also see the value of the Cliiink box, so 130 more recycling bins will be fitted with the device this year.

The local authority in the Pays de Grasse area will focus on increasing glass recycling rates because it shouldn’t be put in with general waste, but it usually is. Glass is valuable too, as it can be recycled over and over again without losing any of its quality.

The local authority expects that they’ll be able to collect an extra 5000 tonnes of glass over the next 5 years with the help of the Cliiink boxes. This adds up to a reduced impact on the environment, savings on waste treatment and disposal costs, happy residents with vouchers to spend, and a boost to local businesses as trade will increase because of the scheme. The authority has promised to donate 3 Euros to a cancer charity for every tonne of glass that is collected.