Overview: An innovative reward by points system was designed and successfully piloted by Common Resource in 2002, and the results published to the waste industry in 2004.
The system, called RECREDS, was
Designed to address low participation
Aimed to increase weight collected
Designed to reduce contamination
In 2010, further refinements to the RECREDS system were made and successfully trialled on estates in LB Hackney. Participants attended focus groups and reported that they would increase their rates of recycling if they were rewarded in RECREDS points.
Les Moore, Managing Director of Common Resource, is acknowledged as one of the worlds leading experts in the development of community currency. RECREDS is one form of community currency.
Specific Challenges
The specific challenges included:
Finding Local Authorities Recycling Officers that could understand the concept of local recycling incentives
Lessons Learned
The lessons learned included:
Some residents wished to donate the points they earned to local good causes
Some residents have high expectations of the residual value of they recyclable materials
Residents in earlier trials kept larger and more valuable items inside their homes for collection, instead of putting them outside
Reference – details of the project are available from the Common Resource and published reports and presentations are available.
