RecycleSmart is creating a tight-knit community, keen to spread the word about the Uber for Waste.
RecycleSmart’s innovative Power Pick-up service is solving one big problem – making sure that tricky-to-recycle items make it from households to the right recycling drop-off location.
An online-system enables residents to book an on-demand collection right from their doorstep. But it’s not just the convenience that stands out – RecycleSmart has a unique relationship with the residents who use the service.
Through recyclesmart.com and the RecycleSmart app, the users (Recycle Heroes in RecycleSmart language) are in direct contact with RecycleSmart and vice versa. This enables RecycleSmart to create a strong relationship and be a point of reference for all things related to recycling.
Eugenie Alonzo, RecycleSmart Chief Marketing Officer, says RecycleSmart has created a tight-knit community, very engaged with the brand.
In the past month RecycleSmart’s social media presence on Instagram and Facebook is capturing increasing engagement, +200 per cent. Tik Tok is set to ramp up and more than 350 Google Reviews collected over time have a 4.9 out of 5-star average rating.
“Creating this engagement enables RecycleSmart to encourage more people to recycle more, more often,” Eugenie says. “Indeed, the latest numbers show that only four per cent of subscribed residents drop out of the service. We can help Recycle Heroes to recycle better and inspire them to spread the word.”
Which is exactly what they are doing.
Angelina Panos found RecycleSmart on Facebook. She now uses the same channel and the “Nextdoor” Neighbourhood site to share news and specials days highlighted by RecycleSmart.
“RecycleSmart is always working on something new and advertises new initiatives that align with special days on the calendar such as a Christmas toy drive, Earth Hour, New Year’s Resolution and initiatives to support Clean Up Australia,” she says.
“The newsletters keep me informed of what is happening and lets me know of the latest items that may be recycled and placed in my pick-up service.”
The Randwick resident says it was the wide range of waste collected and the convenience of a pick-up service that attracted her to RecycleSmart.
The service at Randwick was initially charged $2 per bag. The service has since been expanded to one free monthly collection of up to two bags, on a subscription basis.
RecycleSmart has recently also started a pick-up service from workplaces.
Angelina says the convenience of having waste collected from your doorstep means it’s not stored for a day when you are free to go to a council-run recycling centre, which might never happen.
“It’s also great for the elderly and people who don’t have transport to go to the recycling centre or a charity shop.”
Angelina was a recycler before using RecycleSmart but says her recycling habits have changed.
“The fact that it is being picked up from you home gives you incentive, I think, to see how many items that you have that may be collected,” she says.
“I’ve noticed the majority of supermarket items are packaged in soft plastic and wrappings that may be recycled. Also vitamins and medications are sealed with plastic packaging, while the packaging that comes with new purchases can be removed and placed in a RecycleSmart bag instead of going into the waste bin.”
Shona Bates worked in waste regulation in the UK for years so knows and understands the importance of waste segregation.
The Randwick resident says that when RecycleSmart partnered with the council she jumped on board.
“I know that clean streams of waste are easier to recover materials from,” Shona says. “Mixed recycling streams take energy to sort and contamination prevents recovery, while sorting waste at source makes us more conscious of the waste we generate.
“If recycling is easier, we recycle more.
“The key thing for me has been diverting materials I knew could be recycled out of the red bin. I can immediately see the amount of waste I’m diverting from landfill – both by the amount collected by RecycleSmart and the emptiness of my red bin – which is almost empty these days.”
Shona has a monthly booking with RecycleSmart, devoted to soft plastics. She orders a top-up collection as required and says the pick-up service is ideal for households wanting to do the right thing but unable to get to recycling facilities.
“RecycleSmart’s customer service is great, the booking system is easy to use and there’s generally a very quick response time between booking and collection. If there is an item they can’t take, the driver collecting texts to me explain why. I can also add extra bags on the day.
“This should be part of every council’s approach.”
For more information, visit: www.recyclesmart.com