High-rise residents in the city will get green bonus A new scheme to encourage recycling will involve households being given points per kilogram of waste collected. HIGH-rise residents in the city will be rewarded with discounts at cafes, cinemas and other venues for recycling their rubbish under a new Melbourne City Council scheme. A first for Victoria, it will involve households being given points per kilogram of waste collected to encourage more recycling. The GreenMoney rewards program will first be trialled among 15,000 households in Southbank and Docklands amid concern that apartment dwellers are not doing their bit to save the planet. Households who sign up for the scheme will be able to earn up to $20 a fortnight in discounts and offers depending on how much rubbish is recycled in their zone. City of Melbourne environment portfolio chairman Cr Arron Wood said it was a creative way to get people to recycle. "One of the biggest challenges we face as a capital city council is the amount of landfill we produce, so we are always looking at new ways to reduce it and improve recycling," he said. Under the scheme, households will earn 50 points, or $5 value, for each 1kg of recycling collected. All waste will be weighed and rewards distributed equally to each participating dwelling for a certain zone. Points will be redeemable at local retailers, restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas and attractions. "We often say that prosperity and sustainability are closely linked, and this program is a wonderful example of that at a local level," Cr Wood said. GreenMoney spokeswoman Suzanna Kukulovski said that the program had been running successfully in Randwick, Sydney. " (It) has successfully delivered a 10.4 per cent increase in recycling and we look forward to demonstrating that City of Melbourne residents can achieve the same positive results," she said. Southbank and Docklands residents are due to receive information about the trial this week.