Over the past few years, we’ve seen amazing growth in the recycling of plastics. The recycling of bags and wraps has increased 50% over the past 5 years,plastic bottle recycling reached nearly 29% in 2010, and non-bottle rigid plastics recycling soared 72% in just one year. This week we heard some exciting news about a new partnership that can only keep the momentum building and help divert even more plastics from the waste stream. Preserve®, a consumer goods company based in Waltham, Mass., has partnered with Recyclebank, New York, to reward consumers for recycling, polypropylene, a type of plastic frequently used to make bottle caps and yogurt cups. Plastics make from polypropylene are typically labeled PP or #5.

As part of the partnership, Preserve® launched a free new iPhone app – Gimme 5 – that allows consumers to find the nearest collection site that accepts No. 5 plastics. The new App enables participants to earn rewards for recycling this valuable material. Each time a user deposits his or her No. 5 plastics at participating retail locations, he or she can earn Recyclebank points that can be redeemed for discounts and deals at local and national businesses.

The program covers all No. 5 plastics including many butter tubs, cream cheese and cottage cheese cups, and hummus containers. But the program goes a step further and helps folks find recycling locations for items like Brita filters and Preserve®’s own products including Preserve tableware, Preserve® toothbrushes and razor handles, and Tom’s of Maine® deodorant packaging.

Preserve® has a solid history of recycling food grade plastic packaging to create essential kitchen and bath products, and this latest partnership and the new App will no doubt continue to raise the bar.