Oct. 27, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Waste and recycling hauler GBUSA Inc. announced today that it has joined forces with RecycleBank®, the premier recycling rewards program, to bring rewards for recycling to Union County, N.C., and Sun City, S.C., residents. Already a success in 22 states and in the United Kingdom, RecycleBank encourages people to recycle by rewarding households with RecycleBank Points for their efforts. These Points are redeemable at local and national retailers, restaurants, grocers, and more. GBUSA Inc. is the only hauler to offer the program in North and South Carolina.

"With this new recycling program, residents will be able to meet recently passed laws requiring that plastics and aluminum be recycled," Erik Blowers, God Bless the USA Inc. founder and president, said. "And the best part is that there is no additional cost to GBUSA recycling customers--they can turn their recyclables into groceries, gift cards and more!"

RecycleBank motivates communities to recycle. The more a community recycles, the more RecycleBank Reward Points it earns. RecycleBank Points are redeemable at hundreds of local and national partners including major retailers and brands such as Coca-Cola, Kraft, Seventh Generation, Dick's Sporting Goods, Ruby Tuesday, CVS/pharmacy and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Local reward partners include Harris Teeter, Moe's Southwest Grill, Robek's Fruit Smoothies, Southern Spirits, Boneheads, and more. There is even an option to donate Points to charities or to local schools for environmental programming through the RecycleBank Green Schools Program. Members redeem their RecycleBank Points online or via phone, where they can also learn about their personal environmental footprint through recycling, read about easy ways to be greener, and learn what happens to recyclables once picked up curbside.

GBUSA offers its customers single-stream recycling, which means only one collection container is needed for all paper, glass, metal, cardboard, and plastic recyclables--no more sorting. After recyclables are picked up at the curb, they are then sorted at the Sonoco Materials Recovery Facility in Charlotte. Because single-stream makes it so easy to recycle, households may see a need for a larger container and may opt in for a 65-gal. recycling cart through GBUSA.

"The average RecycleBank household finds they can recycle at least 50-percent of their waste each week, easily filling a 65-gal. recycling cart," Blowers said.