Beverage company PepsiCo Ltd. recently announced an innovative new strategy to fight pollution and encourage recycling. The multinational company will begin deploying intelligent recycling kiosks across the United States throughout 2010, aiming to encourage customers to recycle their cans and plastic bottles after use.

Kiosks have already boosted returns in other industries, increasing profits for video rental retailers and building new markets for food and beverage retailers. Pepsi’s new recycling kiosks aim to target the other end of the market – providing services for people to return cans rather than purchase them.

Just 34 percent of non-alcoholic cans are recycled in the United States, a figure that’s often attributed to the large amount of soft drinks consumed while out and about. By placing recycling kiosks in public areas and well-trafficked places, PepsiCo intend to reduce their carbon footprint and encourage users to take a sustainable approach to their consumption.

The kiosks will use a reward system to encourage frequent recycling. Users can swipe their Pepsi card against the machines to earn points, which can be spent on complimentary Pepsi products and promotional items. Up to 3,000 recycling kiosks will be deployed in 2010, with more to follow in the coming years.