Learn more on the PhillyRecyclingPays web site about getting rewards for recycling.

Thanks to several years of pressure by Clean Water Action and our members, the City of Philadelphia just announced that it is bringing RecycleBank's Rewards for Recycling program to your neighborhood.

This program provides reward points every time you recycle. You can then redeem your points for coupons to local stores - grocery, pharmacies, clothing, etc. - physical items or donations to your favorite charity.

RecycleBank has programs in 20 other states including the cities of Chicago, IL, Cherry Hill, NJ, Albuquerque, NM and Wilmington, DE. They are a Philadelphia-based company and did a pilot program in parts of Northwest Philadelphia five years ago.

Starting in February the program will expand to a new neighborhood each month until it is citywide by July. The monthly rollouts will be as follows:

• North Philadelphia in February,
• Lower Northeast, Frankford and Logan in March;
• West and Southwest Philadelphia in April;
• Center City and South Philadelphia in May;
• Northeast Philadelphia in June;
• Northwest Philadelphia in July.

To sign up for a rewards account, go to the PhillyRecyclingPays web site or call the rewards customer service line at (888) 769-7960. (If you sign up now, you get 100 bonus points!)

Clean Water Action is excited that Philadelphia is finally getting incentive-based recycling! Thank you to all of you who signed the RecycleNOW petition and contacted city officials!

Because of Clean Water Action's leadership and the activism by residents like you, recycling in Philadelphia has improved dramatically over the past two years. The more we all recycle the more money the city saves and the better off our environment is. It costs 65 dollars/ton to landfill waste but only 33 cents/ton to recycle it!

Bringing Recycling to an Office or Apartment Building Near You

Do you live in an apartment building or work in an office building that doesn't have recycling? Would you like to get recycling in your apartment or office building?

The Recycling Alliance, in which Clean Water Action is a leading member, is working to get recycling programs in apartment and office buildings across the city. We have developed a toolkit to walk you through the process for getting a program in your building and we are available to answer any questions and help guide you. For more information, e-mail Anne Misak