Getting people to commit to recycling every day isn’t always easy, but the Recycling Partnership has a pretty effective strategy: Give away free recycling carts.

The group, which changed its name from Curbside Value Partnership about a year ago, has been encouraging people to use large roll-carts, working with local communities to distribute the carts through a series of grants. Most recently, the cities of Roanoke, Virginia; East Lansing, Michigan; and Greenville, South Carolina have received the grants, which the cities have welcomed with open arms.

“Once fully implemented, the recycling roll-cart collection system will deliver numerous benefits to the Greenville community, including improved residential recycling rates, less waste entering the landfill, and, most importantly, a more convenient method for residents to recycle more at the curbside,” Allison Brockman, recycling coordinator for the city, said in a statement. “Working with the Recycling Partnership will help ensure that the transition to the new recycling collection system in 2016 is as seamless as possible for Greenville residents.”

And the efforts are paying off: Earlier this month, the Recycling Partnership revealed that it had distributed 100,000 carts nationwide since rebranding last summer.

In comments on the milestone, the group noted that it was just getting started. It cited its education initiative aiming to ensure that residents return carts with materials that are easy to recycle and are not contaminated.

“While this success is particularly rewarding, it’s only the beginning! In addition to the carts, over 430,000 additional households will benefit this year from our education materials outside of grant dollars,” Elizabeth Schussler, the group’s communication director, said in a news release. “Plus, another 47,000 carts will be in operation this fall, bringing our grand total to more than 150,000 carts on the street in 18 [months].”

The partnership’s initiatives are paid for by its members, which include an array of associations and multinational corporations. The American Chemistry Council, the American Forest & Paper Association, the Can Manufacturers Institute, the Coca-Cola Co., and Procter & Gamble are among the organizations helping to fund the effort.

(iStock/Thinkstock)