Preserve Launches iPhone App to Increase Recycling of No. 5 Plastics

Preserve's Gimme 5 app

Preserve, a consumer goods company based in Waltham, Mass., has announced the launch of a new partnership with Recyclebank, New York, that rewards consumers for recycling with discounts from local and national businesses as part of the Recyclebank Ecosystem.

Preserve says the partnership will help accelerate awareness and participation in its Preserve Gimme 5 Program—a consumer-powered recycling system that provides expanded recycling options for No. 5 plastics. Through Preserve’s program, shoppers can bring yogurt containers or other No. 5 plastics to participating retail locations nationwide. Preserve then recycles the containers.

Preserve also is launching a free iPhone app that allows users to find the nearest collection site that accepts No. 5 plastic so consumers can earn Recyclebank points.

Preserve’s Gimme 5 app, which is built on the HubEngage platform developed by Mobinett Interactive, will allow participants to formally join the Preserve Gimme 5 program and Recyclebank, allowing participants to earn rewards for their recycling efforts. The location-based app is designed to make it easier for people to find No. 5 plastic collection locations and to inspire others to get involved via Facebook and Twitter sharing and a real-time recycling activity feed of check-ins.

Each time a user checks in his or her No. 5 recycling at participating retail locations, he or she can earn Recyclebank points that can be redeemed for discounts and deals at local and national businesses. Users can also earn points for mailing in their No. 5 plastics for recycling or for purchasing Preserve’s products at www.preserveproducts.com as a completion of the closed-loop system. In addition to the free app download from iTunes, the Gimme 5 community is also accessible through the mobile Web and at the website www.mygimme5.com.

“Recyclebank is our change accelerator,” says Ben Anderson, COO of Preserve. “By tapping the Recyclebank Ecosystem, we now have the capability to expand the number of people making sustainable choices for a broader systemic impact. Working together, Preserve and Recyclebank will empower consumers to make a difference with their recycling and the companies they support with their purchases.”

Preserve’s Gimme 5 partners (Stonyfield, Brita and Tom’s of Maine) are helping to create a closed-loop product system, collecting recyclable packages and products and turning them into new products. This unique program is part of the Recyclebank Ecosystem, a coalition of brands and organizations with like-minded recycling goals.

According to Preserve, to date, Gimme 5 consumers have dropped off more than 200 tons of recycled yogurt cups, hummus and cottage cheese containers at the more than 240 Whole Foods Market stores and select independent cooperative markets across the U.S.

“Recyclebank realizes that to make a measurable environmental impact, we need to motivate millions to act in ways that create a more sustainable future," says Ali C. Mirian, Recyclebank Ecosystem general manager. "We cannot do this alone, however, so Ecosystem partners like Preserve are instrumental in helping us mobilize a massive network of people to make more sustainable choices. Thanks to Preserve, we are further expanding our network of eco-conscious brands and consumers working together towards the common good of the planet.”

The app can be downloaded here and the Gimme 5 community can be accessed at mygimme5.com. 

More information on Preserve’s partnership with Recyclebank is available at www.recyclebank.com/how-to-earn/other/preserve-check-in-5296.

More information on the Recyclebank Ecosystem can be found at www.recyclebank.com/ecosystem or by contacting ecosystem@recyclebank.com.