The first two weeks of the campaign will focus on paper and packaging. Anyone taking their rubbish to a recycling point across the city could be met by Council staff and rewarded with a £10 voucher which can be spent in high street stores. There are two vouchers to be won each weekday until 16 September, costing the council around £800 in total.
Later weeks will provide incentives for all other types of recycling, including kerbside collections and garden waste. The project aims to promote a positive attitude to recycling and reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfill, as the Council bids to meet its aim of recycling 50% of domestic waste by 2015.
Environment Leader Councillor Robert Aldridge said: “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are in Edinburgh, there is a recycling service for everyone. We’ve had great success in increasing local recycling over recent years but maintaining that gets harder all the time. That’s why it’s essential that we consider innovative ways to encourage all residents and this is the first time we’ve trialled an incentive scheme covering all materials across the whole city.
“Every tonne of waste that goes to landfill costs the Council £100 while recycling costs a small fraction of that. A clean and green Edinburgh benefits everyone living in or visiting the capital, so this is also our chance to say thanks to those people who are playing their part.“
The Council’s website provides more information on where people can recycle and details of the incentive scheme.
