There's no denying that the Power Pickup is convenient - but is it environmentally sustainable? You may be wondering what RecycleSmart is doing to manage its footprint and remain “carbon neutral”, so we have compiled a list of our main initiatives below.
#1 Streamlining the collection of tricky-to-recycle items
First and foremost, our Power Pickup service reduces the necessity for cars on the road. Think of it like carpooling for your recyclables - one of our drivers might complete 20 Power Pickups before they reach capacity, at which point they make one round trip to each local drop off location. That's way more efficient than each of those 20 homes making their own trips!
#2 Optimising driver routes
But the efficiency doesn't stop there. We use technology to optimise our drivers' routes, ensuring that they travel the least distance and spend as little time on the road as possible. Your RecycleSmart driver is also a resident in your area, so they tend to have that extra special local knowledge about secret detours and the best places to park, which help keep our operation running smoothly!
#3 Carbon efficient Power Pickup
On top of being carbon neutral, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint. Great news...you can help! Choose a carbon efficient date, marked with a green leaf on the calendar when booking a pickup. Your Power Pickup will be more efficient when it happens at the same time as your neighbours.
#4 Offsetting our carbon emissions
We have partnered with TRACE to track and offset our carbon emissions, and maintain our status as a carbon neutral organisation. TRACE measures all our emissions across our network of drivers, employees and providers. Based on their measurements, TRACE then finances a number of projects on our behalf to cancel out our CO2 emissions. These projects include turning animal waste into biogas for farmers and communities in Kenya; converting poultry waste into renewable energy for the people of Andhra Pradesh; and empowering traditional land owners to manage fire risk, and in turn, boost the native biodiversity of the Tiwi Islands.
#4 And of course... reducing valuable resources going to landfill!
Last but certainly not least is our pièce de résistance - the very thing RecycleSmart is known for. We make it easy for our Recycle Heroes to keep their tricky-to-recycle items out of the red (or worse - yellow*) bin, and away from landfill. Thanks to the rigorous sorting process carried out by our drivers, we help produce clean streams of recyclables that can be given a second life, supporting the shift towards a circular economy in Australia.
* putting non-recyclable goods in the yellow bin can result in contamination, meaning that more or all of your yellow bin contents must be sent to landfill.