Allentown, PA Residents Can Now Recycle Electronics, Clothing From Doorstep

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Allentown will begin a one-year pilot program with retrievr. In addition to the convenience factor, Allentown officials believe the platform will cut costs related to landfill disposal. Here’s how it works:

•          Visit retrievr.com or text PICKUP to 757-70-FETCH (757-703-3824) to schedule your pickup date.
•          Specify the clothing or electronics you wish to recycle.
•          On your pickup day, set out your electronics and bagged clothing on your porch or next to your front door.
•          The retrievr truck will collect it.

Residents can also earn rewards (such as an Amazon gift card or a donation made in your name) by texting photos of the to-be-recycled materials to retrievr. This gives the company a better sense of what it can fit in the truck and “get a jumpstart” on identifying where and how to recycle various objects.

Recycling items through retrievr is free except for microwaves ($10); computer monitors that use a cathode ray tube ($35); and TVs (less than 150 pounds, $35; more than 150 pounds, $100).

Allentown pays $56.39 per ton for landfill disposal, so retrievr will allow the Bureau of Recycling & Solid Waste to save money on volume. The city will also receive 10% of the money retrievr makes recycling clothing, though it’s estimated at less than $2,000. “Allentown is proud of our efforts to reduce our environmental impact and save taxpayers money. It’s not often we get to announce a program that does both, so we’re incredibly excited to have found retrievr,” Mayor Ray O’Connell said in a statement. “Our residents get the convenience of an at-home pickup, we keep recyclable materials out of the waste stream and the city saves on disposal fees.”

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com