Whitehead ‘Reward4Waste’ Trial – There’s a new app in town!

An innovative recycling app called Reward4Waste was launched in Whitehead today.

Bryson Recycling have teamed up with CryptoCycle, founders of Reward4Waste, and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to help find a simple and effective way for people to return single use packaging ahead of new recycling laws to bring in a Deposit Return Scheme.

The app is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and will be trialled across 2000 households for an eight-week period exclusively in Whitehead.

The launch was attended by DAERA Minister Edwin Poots; and included a warm welcome from Cllr Andrew Wilson, Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Other attendees included Sian Young, Head of People & Planet - Britvic; Fiacre O’Donnell, Director of Sustainability - Encirc; Jackie and Dee Wright - SPAR Owners and representatives from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; Bryson Recycling and CryptoCycle.

The trial will cover items packed in single use packaging, purchased at SPAR on Edward Road, Whitehead, including plastic drinks bottles, cans, plastic milk bottles and glass wine bottles. Each participating item will have a unique sticker which residents simply scan into the Reward4Waste app at point of recycling to get their Reward Points.

Residents will be rewarded 10 or 20 Reward Points every time they recycle a participating item, with 100 points being worth £1.

During the trial, price points on participating items will remain as usual (so will not go up) meaning that people will truly get rewarded for their recycling.

The collected Reward Points can be redeemed as SPAR vouchers (to be used at Spar Edward Road) or donated to a choice of three brilliant local charities – Hope House, Whitehead Primary School PTA or Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

DAERA Minister Edwin Poots said: “Trials of new ideas and technologies that aim to boost our recycling rates and tackle litter are very welcome. I’m particularly heartened by the collaborative approach taken in this pilot. It’s great to see businesses from different parts of the value chain working together, from retailers to recyclers. I’m consulting on the detail of a statutory deposit return scheme for bottles and cans early next year. I look forward to seeing the results of this trial fed into that formal process.”

The communication campaign uses real people from Whitehead – and can be seen on banners and posters across the town.

The trial is proudly supported by Britvic, PepsiCo and Encirc, with special thanks going to Jackie Wright SPAR Owner on Edward Road.

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Andrew Wilson, said: “We really appreciate how well the residents of Mid and East Antrim are recycling already – and this new app will reward them for doing so. By ensuring the different materials are recycled across the borough, we can recycle even more, save money and help the environment. These simple changes may not seem like a lot individually but if everyone made a small change and became more aware, we could collectively make a massive difference.”

Jackie Wright, Owner of SPAR, Edward Road Whitehead said “This is a great opportunity for local people in Whitehead to get rewarded for recycling items purchased at our shop. Not only does the help the environment it also benefits our community”.

Eric Randall, Director or Bryson Recycling adds: “We are excited to be part of the Reward4Waste trial in Whitehead. At Bryson Recycling we pride ourselves on finding innovative ways to encourage people to recycle the right way. We focus on collecting high-quality materials through our kerbside box service, meaning they can be recycled locally, which is better for the environment, our local economy and creates jobs. Over 85% of the materials we collect are recycled here in Northern Ireland. I hope you enjoy taking part in the trial - let’s revolutionise recycling!

Sian Young - Head of People & Planet - Britvic Ireland comments “We are hugely proud at Britvic Ireland to be supporting the Reward4Waste initiative.  We believe that our packaging should never become waste and making the recycling process as easy as possible is at the heart of that mission.” 

For full details, please see www.reward4waste.com