Phoenix has set lofty goals when it comes to recycling. The city of Phoenix plans to divert 40% of its trash from the landfill by 2020.

The city contracted Recyclebank, a program which included rewards-based initiatives aimed at increasing tenants participation in recycling. $3.3 million was spent over two years, but the resident’s response was inadequate to uphold the city’s goals. The city of Phoenix announced Monday that it had cut the rewards-based program that offered residents gift cards and other retail discounts if they would recycle. 

Joe Giudice, the Assistant Public Works Director with the City of Phoenix, announced that the reward-based program would be canceled in order to redirect recycling efforts to existing facilities that were successfully working towards the city’s diversion goals.

“We decided that it would be a good time to move on from that program in order to focus on programs that would help us get to that goal,” Giudice added.

City officials are unsure why residents did not respond positively to the Recyclebank program. Giudice said that the city has many other programs that are generating success toward its diversion goal.

Such programs include a compositing facility, a textile-collecting company and a program dubbed “Oops! Shine on,” which is a direct intervention recycling program where officials give residents direct feedback about their recyclables.