Tomra celebrates recycling loyalty program’s one-year anniversary

Tomra, a Shelton, Connecticut-based manufacturer of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for collecting and recycling cans and bottles, has announced it is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its recycling loyalty program Tomra Makes Change.

Through Tomra Makes Change, the company says it has seen a significant increase in container redemption — members have recycled more than 30,000,000 containers through RVMs since its inception in September 2016.

More than 40,000 recyclers have joined Tomra Makes Change, further demonstrating that incentives work to motivate recycling behavior, says the company. In addition to redeemed rewards, a considerable number of charitable donations also have been made.

“We are thrilled with the number of people that have joined Tomra Makes Change. This reaffirms that consumers are engaged in redeeming when they understand the benefits to the environment, and when the process adds value to their lives,” says Ernie Argenio, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tomra North America. “Redeeming containers through RVMs ensures that they stay in the material loop and can be recycled into new bottles, reducing our reliance on natural resources and reducing litter in our streets, oceans and landfills.”

The company developed Tomra Makes Change to further improve and reward consumer participation in deposit return programs through its new generation of RVMs. The Tomra Makes Change program was designed to get people more engaged in redeeming and recycling, the company says. To date, Tomra has 498 RVMs connected to the Tomra Makes Change program in the U.S, which are dispersed in more than 72 stores.

Program members receive one point for each container returned through a participating Tomra RVM. These points can be redeemed for rewards or donated to various charitable organizations. To be a part of the program, RVM users can create an account online at TomraMakesChange.com or through the Tomra ReAct mobile app.