We tested a hyped recycling app that you can use to earn money – One thing surprised us, and in a positive way!

We told you last week that you can now earn money with, among other things, empty ketchup bottles and chip bags, when you sort the packaging properly at a recycling point.

In the Bower application, the barcode of the product is scanned into the application after the purchase event, and when the packaging is sent for recycling, the recycling event is logged in the user’s account and accumulates points there.

Sounds good, so let’s put the app to the test!

I enter Bower as a search term in the App Store, and the application is easily found. Just a moment, and the recycling app is downloaded to my phone. I choose Finnish as the user language and create a user account where I can decide my password myself.

So let’s explore what this is really about. The first step is to scan the product packaging into the app.

I scan the barcode of the Unopened Halva Jymy salmiakki lozenge box, and the app recognizes it. The phone vibrates and the app tells me that the packaging is cardboard and suitable for cardboard recycling. The package is worth two points.

Halva is one of the partners of the Bower app. Other partner brands include Aco, Abba, Felix, Fairy, Friskies, Grandiosa, Nescafe, Nivea, Panda, Plantagen, Risifrutti, Weleda and Wella.

Let’s try the candy bag then. The application recognizes the Vanhat autot candy bag as plastic and instructs you to sort it in the plastic collection. Both products now appear in my recycling bag waiting to be recycled.

Let’s test with another similar bag of candy, because I have two of them in my hands.

Zero points, slander the app. Bower informs me that it cannot verify the number of product packages in my hands. What on earth? It’s clearly a restriction made to prevent scams, but since I actually have two bags of candy, the situation is annoying.

A pleasant surprise – money for everything!

Then comes a surprise. I’m trying to scan a Linkosuo Raisips package into the application, and the scan is successful, even though Linkosuo is not listed in the list of partner companies.

The application says that a bag of rye chips is worth one point. Do you really get points for all product packaging, regardless of the brand?

I head to the fridge and pick up a package of cold cuts. The app’s scanner recognizes Rainbow’s ham package as plastic and promises one point for the package.

So, with the application, you can really earn money with other recyclable packaging than just products from official partner companies. However, the number of points is lower with these packages.

And then to recycle

It’s time to put the candies in better mouths and then take the empty packaging to the recycling point. From inch to action.

Recycling points can be seen here and there on the map, and I have also managed to mark my destination on the map.

The application also offers the possibility to add new recycling points to it, but I don’t need it.

I stand at the sorting station and open the app. The application locates my location and identifies a recycling point. I confirm the sorting point as correct and at the same time my entire recycling bag is empty. Wait a minute, so a package of ham and a bag of rye crisps as well. But I don’t have them with me. Only the candies were eaten, and I came to the point with only bags of candy with me. However, the points are added to my account for all the products I scan.

The loophole apparently enables cheating, so it is up to the user’s conscience to properly recycle all scanned packages when the time comes.