A Recycling Database in the Palm of Your Hand

In order for a recycling program to work in our on-demand society, it needs to be easy to use. This is true for both corporate programs and consumer recycling initiatives.

While advances in the availability of consumer recycling programs in the last decade have given more people the opportunity to recycle more products, communication on how, where and what to recycle is just beginning to catch up.

With our increasingly mobile-friendly lifestyles, information on where to recycle specific items has made the jump from pamphlets distributed by individual municipalities comprehensive recycling smartphone applications (apps). Easy to use apps, like the new iRecycle app launched by Earth911 — a subsidiary of Quest Resource Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: QRHC) —, offer instant gratification to consumers looking to easily find information on recycling drop-off locations in their area.

Earth911’s iRecycle app provides recycling information on 360 materials.

iRecycle connects users with a recycling database of more than 122,000 drop-off locations across the U.S. The app provides information on how to properly dispose of 360 recyclable materials from antifreeze to zinc-carbon batteries.

While the Earth911 recycling database, accessible online at Earth911.com and via the iRecycle app, provides information on hundreds of recyclable materials, plastics are among the top searches for how to properly recycle items.

“How to recycle plastics is our number one question we get, they just don’t know what the numbers mean,” said Lindsey Rattan director of communications for Earth911, in an interview with Waste 360. “We help users figure out what to do, and help them find a place to take it.”

Take for example plastic bags — like the kind you may haul your groceries home in when you forget to bring your reusable shopping bags to the supermarket. Many municipalities do not accept plastic bags in their home recycling collection programs, however, they can be recycled. A simple search of the recycling database on the iRecycle app provides the consumer with a list of facilities — in this case, a lineup of local retailers — arranged by distance from their current location, with links to the facility address, contact information and recyclable materials accepted.

The iRecycle app is a free download available for both Android and Apple iOS devices.

Feature image credit: LDprod / Shutterstock

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