Users simply sign up using WhatsApp (33-2465-0615) or clicking Registrate at recybank.com.
Although RecyBank has been in Angeles’ mind for a long time, he and founder Alfredo Eller just started rolling in March.
“Twelve years ago I started Al Teatro en Bici,” a social-media-based cycling group that attended theatrical presentations together, Angeles said. But now, considering the plethora of activist cycling groups in the metropolitan area, the playgoing group has become “sporadic” and his activism is instead focused on protecting the environment.
“RecyBank is a business that aims to generate profits, but more importantly, we’re trying to generate a social benefit, to create a culture of sustainability. We want trash in the city to disappear and it’s obviously urgent.”
Angeles adds that the logistics of arranging pickups – and doing it sustainably – is daunting. He points out that recycled material doesn’t earn a lot of money on the market, and picking it up and managing it, considering the costs of staff, gasoline and storage, is no easy task.
“It’s a huge challenge. But I’m optimistic. We now have only 200 users signed up, but our growth is 400 percent monthly. I want to go to 800,000 users.
“I think our system can be converted into programs that can be used anyplace around the world. There are already a lot of recycling programs, but I don’t think any of them are like RecyBank. There are a lot that go to businesses. In fact, we go to businesses and schools and we’ve paid schools from 4,000 pesos to 300,000 pesos.”
RecyBank’s policies for residential users is evolving, with the minimum amount having recently risen slightly to about 15 kilos per pickup.
“It’s about two jumbo plastic bags or two of our own large sacks,” said RecyBank staffer Estefania Mora. RecyBank’s sacks work a bit like garrafones for water – you invest in two or three and they will be swapped for fresh ones each time RecyBank picks up your load.
Mora pointed out that the cost of the materials accepted—metal cans, plastic bottles made of PET, paper and cardboard and glass – generate widely varying returns on the market, with metal generating the most, followed by PET and the other two.
When my first load was picked up, about 65 percent of its weight was glass (some of which I’d picked up on the street as I walked my dog), 22 percent was paper and cardboard (including a stack of old Guadalajara Reporters), 11 percent was PET and a measly four percent was the valuable but featherweight estaño (tin or aluminum cans), even though I thought I had a good number of pet food cans.
I was pleased that the collector arrived only about an hour after the estimated time, as nobody wants to wait around all day. Angeles explained that pickup times must have a range of about two hours, since traffic or unexpectedly large loads can put the collector behind.
I calculate that if collection is done once a week, which will be tough in my case, I can accumulate a ton (907 kilos) in 57 trips – a little over a year.
Angeles pointed out that users can opt to donate the money they earn to various causes RecyBank supports: animal shelters, cancer support programs, orphanages, reforestation programs and so on.
“More than anything we want everyone to be conscious of their consumption and to not only recycle, but reduce and reuse.”
RecyBank also has a storage facility at Mezquitan 315 near the Refugio tren ligero stop. Drop-offs can be made there, also by appointment.
RecyBank, Send a text by WhatsApp to (33) 2465-0615, www.recybank.com, www.facebook.com/bancodereciclaje.