UPDATE: And The Lucky Bin Is ....

WORLD WASTES STAFF

CHESAPEAKE, VA. - For residents in Chesapeake, Va., the chance to win some extra cash is as easy as putting out their recycling bins correctly on collection day.

Every week since February 1997, Chesapeake's Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) randomly chooses two homes participating in its curbside recycling program. A $50 prize is awarded to residents of the selected homes if the minimum requirements are met:

* only residents currently participating in the program are eligible;

* residents must have their bins out by 7 a.m. on their collection day; and

* bins must contain recyclables.

"Participation is the key to success, and residents already are recycling," says Dave Horne, the city's recycling program manager. "With 'Recycling For Dollars,' we hope to get people to recycle even more." Though the results have not been dramatic, Horne is pleased with the steady increase - at least 1 percent to 2 percent monthly - the recycling program has experienced since the lottery's inception.

Raymond Jones of Portsmouth, Va., was the first participant to win SPSA's lottery. "My wife and I are so excited to win money for putting out our blue bin," says Jones. "I definitely support recycling because it helps protect the environment and it's a good thing to do. My neighbors also recycle and I encourage other people to do the same."

In order to keep the program fresh on the minds of recyclers, SPSA in-tends to do some promotional campaigns on a quarterly basis, Horne says. Currently, the organization announces its winners in its newsletter, on its web site and in the city's newspaper. According to Horne, SPSA will continue the program through fiscal year 1998 and beyond.

"We will continue the program for as long as money is available," Horne says.