If you’re part of one of the 59 percent of United States households that lack access to a curbside recycling program, you may think you’re unable to participate in recycling altogether.

But, with a little planning and community engagement, you may be able to start a neighborhood container recycling program – allowing you and your neighbors to participate in this important practice and help reduce litter and waste in your community (as well as beyond!).

How to Launch a Bottle Recycling Program

If you’d like to launch a local recycling program for containers, the first step is to research the recycling policies in your area. You’ll need to identify the collection system you’ll be using, whether that’s drop-off bins or pick-up services (in most cases it will be drop-off since this is generally easier to establish).

The next steps will involve getting your community involved in your recycling plan, from the logistics of establishing collection points to the process of spreading awareness through social media and other platforms.

Setting Up Collection Points

It’s important to choose the most accessible locations possible for your collection points to maximize the number of people who drop off their recycling at these locations. Some ideal places for establishing collection points include schools, community centers, central government buildings, and local businesses such as grocery stores and laundromats.

Make sure that the recycling bins are easy to see, so people can find them without difficulty. You should also make sure that the bins are labeled with clear, accurate recycling guidelines. Otherwise, the recyclables that you collect may end up getting contaminated, which can make it much less likely that they’ll actually end up getting recycled.

Partnering with Local Businesses

Partnerships with local businesses can be a win-win, as it may improve businesses’ public image (helping them to gain an eco-friendly reputation) and raise their profile in the community to partner with a beneficial local initiative such as a recycling program.

As you engage with cafes, grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses in your area, be sure to emphasize the fact that this partnership will tangibly benefit you both. You might also ask these businesses to host collection bins, offer discounts to participating customers, or advertise your new recycling program on social media or through sponsorships.

Engaging Your Community and Raising Awareness

Getting the community involved is an essential step in establishing a new recycling program. After all, you may have secured the most optimal collection points in the world and have all aspects set up perfectly, but if your neighbors aren’t aware of the program or how to use it, they won’t actually end up participating and your community’s recycling rates will remain stagnant.

Some of the best ways to engage the community are to use social media, flyers, and local/public events as an opportunity to educate your fellow community members on the benefits of recycling. As you do so, be sure to highlight not only the environmental benefits but also the potential economic benefits to the community itself – this may be a more compelling motivation to recycle for some of your neighbors.

Other ways to encourage your neighbors to participate in the new program include planning friendly recycling contests (this is an especially promising way to get kids involved). As part of your recycling program’s partnerships with local businesses, you may be able to offer small incentives such as discounts at these businesses.

In addition to partnering with businesses in your community, you can also raise local awareness of your new recycling program through partnerships with schools and local non-profit organizations.

Use CLYNK to Start Bottle Drop Recycling

If you’re located in Maine, New York, Connecticut, or Iowa, you may also be able to participate in a bottle drop recycling program through CLYNK. CLYNK’s patented system makes it amazingly easy to return your bottles and cans and get paid to do so too. CLYNK is set apart by their one-of-a-kind multi-stream recycling approach, which no other company in the US employs, and which produces nearly 100 percent recyclable materials.

Using CLYNK is as straightforward as placing containers in their green recyclable bags, tagging them with your personal bag tags, and scanning and depositing the bags at the CLYNK kiosk nearest to you. The streamlined drop-off process only takes about 30 seconds to do!

CLYNK also uses an intuitive mobile app that allows you to view your account card, update account info, check your account balance, and track all of the containers you’ve dropped off so far. This means you can get a sense of your total impact on the environment by recycling through CLYNK.

If you’re eager to begin bottle drop recycling through CLYNK, sign up online to receive your free CLYNK cards, bag tags, and a voucher for ten free recycling bags. (You can also sign up in person, if preferred, at a nearby CLYNK kiosk.)

If you have any other questions about CLYNK, visit our FAQs page to learn more.