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For Immediate Release Contacts: Michelle Goetsch CEO, Betterbin mgoetsch@erbinusa.com 715.571.2042 MaryAnne Groat Finance Dir., City of Wausau mgroat@ci.wausau.wi.us 715.261.6640 Bob Stephan Dir. Marketing, Rocket Industrial bStephan@rocketindustrial.com 715.843.2759 Wausau launches recycling app for residents Local partners come together to help residents recycle right WAUSAU, WI, February 15, 2021—The City of Wausau, in partnership with packaging solutions provider Rocket Industrial, today launched a recycling education app for Wausau residents as a new tool to help residents properly recycle. In October of last year, the City’s Sustainability, Energy and Environment Committee voted in favor of bringing residents more education about proper recycling after a city waste audit showed 84% of residential recycling carts audited had some type of material that did not belong in the recycling cart. Residents can access the app by searching for betterbin.app in their mobile device’s web browser and choosing Wausau as their community. “When residents don’t put the correct materials in their recycling carts, we undermine the entire purpose of our local recycling program,” said Mary Anne Groat, City of Wausau Finance Director and Recycling Coordinator. “Those unacceptable materials simply take an expensive extended trip from the home to the recycling facility and then on to a landfill.” Major shifts in the national recycling ecosystem over the past two years have forced communities to take a much closer look at the environmental goals and economic realities of local recycling programs. The combination of contamination (unacceptable materials) and lack of domestic end-markets for recycled materials has increased the cost to manage local programs across the country. Educating residents about how to properly recycle helps ensure the long-term financial viability of Wausau’s recycling program. The launch of the app in Wausau is particularly meaningful because of the local partnerships that made the app and local launch a reality. Betterbin app founder and passionate sustainable waste management advocate Michelle Goetsch bases the startup’s operations in Kronenwetter. App sponsor Rocket Industrial is a locally headquartered international provider of packaging solutions. Rocket Industrial’s mission to Package with Less ™ caught the attention of Goetsch as a perfect partner almost two years ago. “Few startups have local access to industry experts who will take the time to support an early stage startup founder and also do good locally while creating innovation in their respective spaces,” Goetsch said, “The Rocket team was eager to provide business mentorship and financial support to make the app a reality for Wausau residents.” “As a provider of packaging solutions to brands internationally, we see it as our responsibility to divert as much recyclable packaging from landfills as possible,” said Ryan Gallagher, President of Rocket Industrial. “Seeing first-hand the contamination issues locally helps us better serve our customers across the country. The opportunity to support a local entrepreneur solve a problem in our own community is icing on the cake.” About Betterbin Betterbin is a Wisconsin-based tech and social impact startup disrupting the traditional waste education scene. Betterbin uses data and technology to make it easier for consumers to properly recycle, compost and prevent food waste. Learn more at about.betterbin.app.
For Immediate Release
Contacts: Michelle Goetsch CEO, Betterbin mgoetsch@erbinusa.com 715.571.2042 MaryAnne Groat Finance Dir., City of Wausau mgroat@ci.wausau.wi.us 715.261.6640 Bob Stephan Dir. Marketing, Rocket Industrial bStephan@rocketindustrial.com 715.843.2759
Wausau launches recycling app for residents Local partners come together to help residents recycle right WAUSAU, WI, February 15, 2021—The City of Wausau, in partnership with packaging solutions provider Rocket Industrial, today launched a recycling education app for Wausau residents as a new tool to help residents properly recycle. In October of last year, the City’s Sustainability, Energy and Environment Committee voted in favor of bringing residents more education about proper recycling after a city waste audit showed 84% of residential recycling carts audited had some type of material that did not belong in the recycling cart. Residents can access the app by searching for betterbin.app in their mobile device’s web browser and choosing Wausau as their community. “When residents don’t put the correct materials in their recycling carts, we undermine the entire purpose of our local recycling program,” said Mary Anne Groat, City of Wausau Finance Director and Recycling Coordinator. “Those unacceptable materials simply take an expensive extended trip from the home to the recycling facility and then on to a landfill.” Major shifts in the national recycling ecosystem over the past two years have forced communities to take a much closer look at the environmental goals and economic realities of local recycling programs. The combination of contamination (unacceptable materials) and lack of domestic end-markets for recycled materials has increased the cost to manage local programs across the country. Educating residents about how to properly recycle helps ensure the long-term financial viability of Wausau’s recycling program. The launch of the app in Wausau is particularly meaningful because of the local partnerships that made the app and local launch a reality. Betterbin app founder and passionate sustainable waste management advocate Michelle Goetsch bases the startup’s operations in Kronenwetter. App sponsor Rocket Industrial is a locally headquartered international provider of packaging solutions. Rocket Industrial’s mission to Package with Less ™ caught the attention of Goetsch as a perfect partner almost two years ago. “Few startups have local access to industry experts who will take the time to support an early stage startup founder and also do good locally while creating innovation in their respective spaces,” Goetsch said, “The Rocket team was eager to provide business mentorship and financial support to make the app a reality for Wausau residents.” “As a provider of packaging solutions to brands internationally, we see it as our responsibility to divert as much recyclable packaging from landfills as possible,” said Ryan Gallagher, President of Rocket Industrial. “Seeing first-hand the contamination issues locally helps us better serve our customers across the country. The opportunity to support a local entrepreneur solve a problem in our own community is icing on the cake.” About Betterbin Betterbin is a Wisconsin-based tech and social impact startup disrupting the traditional waste education scene. Betterbin uses data and technology to make it easier for consumers to properly recycle, compost and prevent food waste. Learn more at about.betterbin.app.