As the global conversation around sustainability intensifies, startups in the recycling sector are stepping up to drive innovation in circular economy practices. These companies are tackling waste management, material reuse, and resource efficiency, contributing significantly to the fight against climate change. Recycling Week 2024 shines a spotlight on these game-changing ventures. Whether it’s re-commerce, IoT-enabled recycling solutions, or cutting-edge chemical technologies, these startups are leading the way in transforming waste into valuable resources.
Here are 10 recycling startups you need to know for Recycling Week 2024:
1. ReMatter
Operating System for the Recycling Industry
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Founders: Wyatt Pontius, Sean O’Bannon & Drake H.
ReMatter is revolutionizing the industrial recycling industry by providing a comprehensive operating system that streamlines everything from logistics to inventory management. By digitizing and automating recycling workflows, ReMatter is driving operational efficiency and helping recyclers maximize material recovery.
2. DePoly
Chemical Recycling of Plastics
Location: Sion, Switzerland
Founders: Samantha Anderson & Christopher Ireland
DePoly’s unique chemical recycling technology targets hard-to-recycle PET and polyester waste streams, offering a solution that operates at room temperature and standard pressure without the need for pre-sorting or cleaning. Their process is energy-efficient and scalable, providing virgin-grade raw materials from mixed plastics and textiles.
3. Circunomics
Battery Circular Economy Platform
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Founders: Jan Born & Felix Paul Wagner
Circunomics is at the forefront of the battery circular economy, providing an IoT solution for tracking, managing, and recycling batteries. They help mobility companies, utilities, and recyclers extend battery life, enable second-life applications, and achieve 100% recycling rates, thereby reducing environmental impacts.
4. Recykal
Waste-Commerce Platform
Location: Hyderabad, India
Founders: Anirudha Jalan & Abishek Deshpande
Recykal is India’s first waste-commerce platform, connecting waste generators with processors through a digital marketplace. By bridging this gap, Recykal enables efficient waste collection and processing, contributing to a more organized recycling ecosystem in India. Their platform is driving the circular economy across multiple industries.
5. ecoATM Gazelle
Device Re-commerce Pioneer
Location: San Diego, USA
EcoATM Gazelle focuses on the re-commerce of personal electronics, operating over 5,500 automated kiosks where users can recycle their old mobile devices. Their business model keeps billions of smartphones out of landfills, reducing e-waste and ensuring devices are reused or recycled responsibly.
6. TerraCycle
Zero-Waste Solutions
Location: Trenton, USA
CEO: Tom Szaky
TerraCycle offers unique recycling solutions for items typically considered non-recyclable, from cigarette butts to coffee pods. Their global recycling programs provide consumers and businesses with the ability to recycle materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.
7. Algramo
Smart Packaging Solutions
Location: Santiago, Chile
Founders: Jose Manuel Moller
Algramo aims to reduce plastic waste by providing refillable, smart packaging solutions for household products. Their vending machines offer consumers affordable and eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic, contributing to the circular economy in packaging.
8. Loop Industries
Infinite Recycling of Plastics
Location: Montreal, Canada
Loop Industries uses a patented technology to recycle plastics back to their original monomers, which can be infinitely reused. Their process tackles hard-to-recycle plastics, such as PET and polyester, turning them into new, virgin-quality materials.
9. Li-Cycle
Location: Mississauga, Canada
Founder: Ajay Kochhar
Li-Cycle is addressing the growing global issue of lithium-ion battery waste. Their proprietary technology efficiently recycles battery materials, recovering critical elements like cobalt, nickel, and lithium. By focusing on sustainability, Li-Cycle aims to make batteries part of the circular economy.
10. BlockTexx
Location: Sydney, Australia
Founders: Graham Ross, Adrian Jones
BlockTexx specializes in textile recycling, recovering polyester and cellulose from used garments. Their proprietary technology contributes to the circular textile economy by repurposing materials into new, high-value products.
Climate Insider Analysis
These startups are redefining the future of recycling, proving that technology and innovation can help solve some of the planet’s biggest waste challenges. From re-commerce to chemical recycling, these companies are helping build a more sustainable and circular world. As Recycling Week 2024 highlights, investing in these cutting-edge solutions is essential to moving the global economy toward zero waste and a greener future.
