2020 has been a year like no other
Amongst all the challenges we have found reasons to celebrate, and we would like to share some of them with you…
Reward4Waste app created
With the consumer at the heart of everything we do, the app (created by Relative) offers front end simplicity with back end intelligence, increasing recycling through rewards and tracking individual packaging through the circular economy.
Take a look at the app here
Trial in Whitehead, NI
We launched our first public trial in collaboration with Bryson Recyclingand Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, with DAERA Minister Edwin Poots launching and supporting the trial. The local community joined in, featuring in the advertising and requesting an extension to the trial. The launch saw Reward4Waste featured on BBC and other media.
Supported by Major Brands
The trial gained support from Britvic Ireland, PepsiCo and Encirc, with further support from SPAR.
The trial includes plastic, HDPE, tin and glass materials in different sizes, across 2000 households across Whitehead NI for at home and on-the-go recycling.
Enhancing Existing Infrastructure
The trial proved that Reward4Waste works successfully with existing waste infrastructure, enhancing current kerbside collections whilst allowing for out of home recycling capture also – so that consumers can conveniently recycle at home and on-the-go, claiming rewards with every recycle captured.
Engaging all Ages
From 13-80, the Reward4Waste app is being used successfully across all ages.
With 95% of households in the UK owning a mobile phone, Reward4Waste is inclusive to all, allowing for people to recycle and be rewarded at home and on-the-go.
Supporting the Community
Over 45% of residents have donated their Reward Points to local charities, helping those in need through recycling their used packaging.
The remaining have redeemed their Reward Points for SPAR vouchers.
Showcasing our Technology
We were invited to showcase Reward4Waste at the Welsh Government / KTN ‘Developing a Digital DRS’ workshop with over 70 attendees.
We were delighted to share our successful trial results and explain how Reward4Waste works
Strategic Relationships Formed
We are delighted to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Reverse Logistics Group which enhances our offering to partners and areas that require a complete solution for Deposit Return Schemes.
Looking Forward to 2021
We are excited for all that 2021 brings, with a larger DRS trial on the horizon, non DRS loyalty programmes being discussed, festivals and event opportunities and global projects to work on, we are well placed to drive Reward4Waste forward and help revolutionise recycling.
Please follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter or get in touch if you would like to find out more about Reward4Waste and how it could help your community or business reduce waste and keep packaging within the circular economy.
Due to such a positive response to our Reward4Waste trial in Whitehead N.I., we are pleased to announce that the Reward4Waste trial has been extended until the end of January 2021!
That means that if you live in Whitehead, you can get rewarded for your recycling until January 31st, and you can donate or redeem your collected points until February 14th.
Reward4Waste – Trial Mechanics
The below information highlights the trial mechanics in Whitehead, Northern Ireland, run in collaboration with Bryson Recycling and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and proud support from Britvic NI, PepsiCo and Encirc.
NB: Some of the trial mechanics would be enhanced and optimised at full roll out or larger trial, such as the use of blockchain technology and coding at point of manufacture. Please talk to us to find out more…
2000 Households in Whitehead were asked to take part in the Reward4Waste trial, which ran for 4 months, from 30th September 2020 through to January 31st 2021
Selected items of single-use packaging including plastic drinks bottles, plastic milk bottles, soft drinks cans and wine bottles have a uniquely coded sticker placed on them by staff at Whitehead SPAR before they are put on the shelves for sale.
Every household was sent an education pack, inviting them to take part and including stickers with unique ID codes to place on their household recycling boxes (glass / other)
Those that want to take part, simply download and use the Reward4Waste app, they are verified by email and postcode.
To gain Reward Points via the app, users scan the bin sticker and then scan the code on their purchased (and consumed) packaging. Once recycled the app rewards them through SPAR vouchers or allows them to donate their Reward Points to one of four local charities.
Users can recycle at home using their existing recycling boxes or on-the-go, when they are out and about, by using recycling bins. Due to the unique code, users cannot recycle the same product twice, thus eliminating fraud.
Residents are rewarded 10 or 20 Reward Points every time they recycle using the Reward4Waste app, with 100 points being worth £1.
The app also educates users on good recycling behaviour, reducing confusion when it comes to which items can be recycled.
Reward4Waste works with existing waste infrastructure, this means that during normal kerbside collections, Bryson Recycling scans the tagged recycling boxes and the items are recycled as normal.
The trial was promoted in Whitehead through a door-knocking campaign, leaflet drops and a marketing campaign which featured local residents.
The trial app gives data on who has recycled what item, when and where.
Visit our website to view the full suite of Reward4Waste benefits
For more information on Reward4Waste do please get in touch…
The consumer journey
Front end simplicity – back end intelligence. No more opaque provenance. No more confused citizens.
The journey may differ by project, but all share a common goal, to make it easy for people to return items for reuse or recycling. Reducing waste and keep valuable items in the circular economy for longer.
1. Get your phone
2. Scan the code
3. Be engaged
4. Return item
5. Get deposit / rewards
Memberships
FAQs
We are known as pioneers in digital returns, having run 2 world-first Digital DRS projects in 2020/2021 and in 2022 we collaborated with Danone on an evian project at Wimbledon, reaching over 500,00 visitors. Our cup reuse project can be found at Blenheim Palace and is due to roll out this summer 2023.
Please get in touch and we can chat through how re-universe can work in your organisation.
1. Transforming consumer behaviour around reuse and recycling – the app incentivises and rewards consumers for good behaviour, whilst having the ability to bring transparency and traceability to the supply chain
2. Bringing incremental economic value through the recycled and re-used items – a true circular economy
3. Immutable, secure and auditable – tracking packaging end to end with smarter solutions
4. Capturing data and insights over time to understand consumer behaviour
5. Depending on the scheme, re-universe can work within existing waste management and infrastucture – reducing costs and carbon footprint
6. re-universe offers a real chance to accelerate change and make a positive difference
7. re-universe brings consumer ease to reuse and recycling
All of our live projects can be found on our website, we are working on a number of projects yet to appear so watch this space!
If you would like to talk to us about a potential collaboration please get in touch at hello@re-universe.com
We are not currently raising funds through external funding rounds.
However, we are always interested in talking to potential investors, particularly those who can bring relevant knowledge and experience.
If you are interested in potentially investing in us then please contact us by emailing hello@re-universe.com
With billions of single use coffee cups ending up UK in landfill every year, it’s encouraging to see the rise in returnable and reusable cup schemes.
There really is no excuse for single use – but for mass engagement and take-up reuse has to be easy and frictionless.
So what’s the answer?
We believe it is re-universe. Our pioneering digital returns platform drives behavioural change and brings rich data and insights.
Tried and tested at Blenheim Palace in collaboration with Circular&Co. and rolling out across the summer, over 95% of users have said the platform is easy/very easy to use.
If you are looking for a return-for-reuse cup scheme that offers the below benefits (and more!) then get in touch…
😁 Consumer benefits
👍 No need to download an app
👍 No need to register bank details before use
👍 Return simply through tech-enabled returns
👍 Get deposit back into nominated bank account with minimal / no bank charges – quickly, easily, securely
👍 Donate to charity or have a floating deposit that can be used again and again
😁 Brand benefits
👍 Behavioural change insights to drive returns
👍 Validation of returns to reduce fraud
👍 Rich data and insights
👍 Cup-to-cup traceability
👍 Measurable scheme
👍 Multi-lingual and multi-brand
👍 Future-proofed for scaleability
Want to find out more?
Drop us an email 👉 hello@re-universe.com
We’d love to hear from you.
Deposit return schemes (DRS) are becoming more and more common all around the world. When you purchase a drink in a plastic bottle (in some cases glass) you’ll be charged a small deposit at point of purchase. When you return the bottle for recycling, you will receive your deposit back.
How your deposit is returned to you is dependent on how the country runs their DRS. In some nations, you’ll need to return the bottle to a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) at a superstore or other retail location. In other countries, the bottle will need to be returned to a designated recycling point (like a council run tip or waste management site). Regardless of the location, the deposit is always able to be claimed back.
The UK government has announced a DRS will be introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2024, with Scotland looking to introduce a DRS earlier.
re-universe have developed a system where deposits for beverage containers will be returned through an app that gives an instant reward or loyalty card style collection of points dependent on how the consumer wishes to be rewarded for recycling. This is known as Digital DRS and we are known in the industry as the Digital DRS pioneers.
We have run 2 World-first projects in Northern Ireland and Dublin and look forward to running more Digital DRS projects in the future.
We are really excited to be working with Blenheim Palace to eradicate single use, starting with cups, using our pioneering digital returnable cup scheme this summer, in collaboration with Circular&Co.
We couldn’t be prouder!
—
“We are rolling out a digital return-for-reuse cup scheme, eradicating single-use cups across Blenheim Palace. This important initiative eradicates single-use cups across Blenheim and reflects our commitment to becoming carbon neutral on scopes 1-3 of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol by 2027.
Visitors to Blenheim will be offered the choice of a ceramic or returnable cup when they purchase a hot drink. They will pay a deposit which they will get back when they return the cup for reuse.
Using pioneering digital technology from re-universe, there is no need to download an app or register before use. This was important to us because we want our visitors to be able to buy a coffee quickly and easily – without adding friction to their visit. When the cup is returned visitors are offered multiple options, including the ability to get their refund back digitally, donate to charity or other green initiatives.
We’ve been working with re-universe and Circular&Co. on this groundbreaking project for many months, which included running a pilot and learning and optimising in readiness for full rollout this summer.
We look forward to sharing lessons learnt and best practices to help other like-minded organisations jump on board and eradicate single use.”
David Green – Head of Innovation
re-universe technology is the cornerstone of many recycling and reuse projects that you may already be involved in! Please look at our website for more information.
Global smartphone ownership grows daily. According to recent research, in the UK 95% of all households in the UK own a mobile phone, with 78% of those using a smart phone and this number is growing fast.
Having an app based solution makes re-universe easy and convenient to use, however, for those without a smart phone, we have a home scan option.
re-universe uses GS1 global standards unique codes, or serialisation, which are placed on each individual item (either on the physical product or a receipt). We also use RFID technology for track and trace benefits.
Digitisation is without doubt the future of a true circular economy, allowing for traceability of waste, immutability, flexibility, rich insights and data – for cradle to grave accountability.
We are GS1 partners.