This idea was contributed by reader Cliff Bull.

It is amazing what the mind can conjure up when you don’t make money your primary focus. Cliff has come up with an idea to boost the adoption of recycling, particularly amongst young people in the U.K and in fact anywhere else in the world. His idea is to put empty drink can collectors alongside drinks vending machines and introduce a card scheme whereby you insert your card into the collector machine and when you deposit your used cans, you get points added to your card. You can then use your earned points to purchase goods (music, phone credit etc) from participating companies.

Like Cliff I could quickly see the potential for this idea to become huge among teens and even younger kids. The cards could be called ‘Green Cards’ and one can imagine kids going round to collect cans just to earn their green points - not because they particularly care about the environment of course but because being green pays. Also it turns out that in the U.K alone and as far back as 2001, approximately 5 billion aluminium drinks cans were consumed. I imagine that number must have increased greatly and I’m almost certain that only a small proportion of these cans get recycled. Expand the range to cover the U.S. and I am sure the number of cans consumed would more than triple.

Cliff did not initially see this as a money making idea but it is not hard to see how it could be. The company facilitating this whole concept could make it such that points have to be redeemed via its website. This could drive considerable traffic to the site and therefore advertising revenues. It could also take a commission on purchases even though those purchases are made using the virtual currency of points. Also, there may be some potential for facilitating the trading of points, which again could be done on a commission basis.

I read in a recent edition of Fast Company magazine about marketplaces (such as the Ecosystem Marketplace) for trading in carbon offsets. Basically, companies in many countries around the world have to achieve certain levels of carbon offsets per year. Some meet more than they are required to and sell the surplus on to others who can’t meet theirs. This is apparently big business and many young environmental studies graduates are apparently making vast amounts of money just by facilitating these deals. Now I don’t know if this is too far-fetched or not or even if such offsetting regulations are imposed in the U.K. or the U.S. but what if these companies could achieve their offsetting goals by funding the purchases made with green points - in other words a marketplace that allows companies to ‘buy’ offsets that come from people depositing aluminium cans for recycling.

I think this idea has a lot of merit and could do very well if properly executed. I can certainly see it getting funded, if not by A VC then by one of the numerous grants available to green initiatives. Neither Cliff nor I is in a position to execute on this idea so for the sake of our planet, I ask one of you many capable entrepreneurs out there to step up to this one. All I ask is that you give credit to Cliff as appropriate or even better, cut him in on some of the revenue you will no doubt make. Oh and I wouldn’t mind a piece of the action myself of course .