London recyclers will find barcodes on bins inside and outside some Tube stations
A new promotion in central London to encourage recycling is using QR codes to provide commuters with gift vouchers for theaters in the West End, and shop on High Street.
The strategy is designed to give smartphone using recyclers the chance to obtain these vouchers by scanning the barcodes that are affixed to the various bins in and around several transit stations.
There will be 600 bins featuring QR codes in Westminster and Camden.
The hope is that the recycling that it will promote will help the city to reduce its litter by 25,000 tons, and that it will save them £1 million. The total available prize value is estimated at £2,460. Each voucher to be won is worth £20. When the barcodes are scanned by a smartphone or tablet device, the owner is automatically entered into a daily draw for one of the voucher prizes.
The calculation regarding the amount of savings generated by this pilot project are based on the increased profits that will be generated from recycling and the decrease in the waste disposal fees. According to the Westminster Council, over 70 percent of the litter collected on the streets could very easily be recycled if only people would place them into the appropriate bins.
City management and transport cabinet member, Councilor Ed Agar, explained that “It is the right thing to do environmentally and it makes financial sense – in short, a win-win for everyone.”
The stickers with the QR codes will be attached to bins outside some tube stations, and at Oxford, Regent, and Camden High Streets.
The campaign’s organizers are hoping that this initiative will be enough to attract the attention of individuals passing by and that they will begin to recognize that there are recycling facilities available throughout the city which are simple to find and use. However, at the same time, they also admit that there is nothing that will stop someone who has not recycled anything from stopping and scanning the QR codes. The entire cost of the campaign is estimated at £30,000.
