DEPOSIT RETURN: Consumers scan the barcode on plastic bottles for a refund for each one they return
Consumers in Glasgow in Scotland can now take part in a pilot scheme that rewards participants with a micropayment made directly into a digital wallet on their smartphone every time they recycle a single-use plastic bottle.
To take part in Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme pilot, consumers first download the Recycle Glasgow app that enables them to scan the barcode on single-use plastic bottles and receive a 20p (US$0.27) refund in the app’s wallet for every bottle they return to a smart recycling bin or a participating convenience store across the city.
The Glasgow pilot has been launched by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation in partnership with sustainable payments provider Helpful and Mastercard, and aims “to challenge throwaway culture and contribute to the fight against climate change”.
“The scheme is set to reduce Scotland’s CO2 emissions by 160,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 83,000 cars off the road,” the partners say.
“For every bottle recycled a tree will be planted via Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition, which seeks to restore 100m trees by 2025.”
A project to develop NFC labels that will encourage UK consumers to recycle plastic bottles and other reusable packaging was announced in April 2021.
Scotland trials digital micropayments as rewards for recycling plastic was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.