In an effort to go green, Summerfest is implementing both new and old strategies to encourage recycling. Last year, Summerfest used the most recyclable cup on the market (PET 1 by Solo Cup Company) for beverages and they plan to do so again this year.
In addition, PepsiCo, in collaboration with Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful, is introducing recycling kiosks called Dream Machines. Despite the fact that these machines have nothing to do with the movie Inception or time travel, they’re still a unique incentive system for recycling.
People can earn points for recycling in a computerized Dream Machine that keeps track of what’s recycled, as well as the points each recycler accumulates by doing so. Users can redeem their points in exchange for local discounts on entertainment, dining and travel. Two Dream Machines will be at Summerfest this year in an effort to reach the PepsiCo goal of increasing the U.S. beverage recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018.
Will the dream machines make recycling fun? Will Summerfest attendees become trailblazers for recycling efforts? Only time will tell.
– By Emily Pettinger
