Recycling Across America
North America

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People are encouraged to recycle by giving them a discount on their utility bills based on how much they recycle.
Issue areas:

Standings & Awards

88 out of 463 in North America
33 out of 206 in Environment
109 out of 735 in Define
66 out of 401 in For-Profit
425 out of 1783 Overall

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VOTES

ENDS 101 Group 16
This project will help eliminate the large amount of recyclable materials going into landfills.

The United States is lacking when it comes to recycling materials. The EPA estimates that about 75% of solid waste is recyclable, but only 30% is actually recycled. With the ever-growing importance of living sustainably and with more and more communities affected by landfills, it is time to reduce the amount of avoidable waste we produce. Our innovation will make the act of recycling one that is more tangibly rewarding for people by exchanging the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality with one involving actively recycling and promoting sustainable consumption. Households and communties will be rewarded for improving both their rates of recycling and the ratio of their recyclable vs unrecyclable refuse. Hopefully this can be a step in the right direction to keep unnecessary trash out of our landfills and to conserve the resources that are growing more and more scarce every day.

SUPPLEMENTAL RESPONSE SECTION FOR CLEARLY ANSWERING FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS

What is your innovation? 
Our innovation is a business that tracks the amount and type of trash households throw out. Each trash can and recycling bin will have a barcode unique to the household. When a truck picks up the cans, the barcodes will be scanned and the weight of the cans will be recorded. Incentives will be awarded for accomplishments such as decreasing the amount of stuff thrown up and increasing the ratio of recycled items to thrown out items.