- April 25, 2024
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Palm Coast resident Rochelle Gildar received an unexpected surprise gift — an Apple iPad — when she won a national holiday drawing as an active recycler in the city of Palm Coast’s Waste Pro Rewards Program.
Everyone from the Rewards Program’s 38 participating cities who had recycled within the past month was eligible for the random holiday drawing. There were more than 50,000 total entries from Palm Coast, Daytona Beach and communities in Michigan, New York, Colorado and South Carolina. Gildar’s name was selected this week, and her iPad was delivered by a city representative Friday.
“I try to recycle everything I can — I actually have more recycling than I do garbage,” said Gildar, who plans to give the iPad to a family member for Christmas. “It’s really very easy. It’s very clear what you can recycle and can’t. This is just icing on the cake getting a present for it.”
The city joined the Waste Pro Rewards Program in June. About a quarter of Palm Coast’s 32,600 households have signed up in the first six months, one of the company’s highest participation rates nationwide.
In the same time period, the tonnage of materials recycled in Palm Coast has risen steadily, with more than 400 tons per month recycled in four of the last six months. The City of Palm Coast had never collected more than 400 tons of recyclables in a month before June 2012.
“The city of Palm Coast is committed to environmental stewardship, and this program is one easy way for residents to make a big difference,” said Dianne Torino, the city’s contracts and risk manager. “We are proud of the growing participation in our recycling program and look forward to partnering with our residents on the win-win opportunity the Rewards Program offers.”
In June, all Palm Coast households received a new blue curbside recycle bin with a Radio Frequency Identificationchip attached. Waste Pro tracks recycling participation through the chip, which is encoded with the address.
Residents who sign up for the Rewards Program earn special coupon offers on a regular basis and also qualify for larger prizes, with greater rewards given for higher recycling participation. Many local businesses offer discounts, also providing them an opportunity to promote their businesses with no participation cost.
Earlier this month, the city awarded $100 Visa gift cards to five Palm Coast households: John and Joelle Fanelli, Rebecca Lee, John and Tanya Eidman, Frank Ciafone, and Paul and JoAnn Pelliccia in its first quarterly drawing for the program.
To participate in the Waste Pro Rewards Program, Palm Coast residents can register by calling 888-234-8211 or sign up online at www.wasteprorewards.com.
