Recycle Track Systems

What Recycle Track Systems does

Recycle Track Systems (RTS), founded in 2014 and headquartered at 85 Broad Street in New York City, is a waste management technology company that combines a cloud-based software platform with IoT hardware and a partner hauler network to deliver waste, recycling, and sustainability services to commercial and institutional customers. The company's technology stack centers on three product lines: the RTS Portal, a cloud-based 24/7 customer reporting and analytics platform; Pello, an AI-powered IoT bin sensor (acquired in March 2023 via RecycleSmart Solutions) that detects waste content, measures fill levels, and identifies contaminants in real time; and Cycle, a reverse vending machine platform (acquired in February 2023 via Cycle Technology) that enables gamified recycling engagement at sports venues. Underlying AI capabilities include anomaly detection, predictive fill-level analytics, and process automation applied to structured sensor data.

RTS operates across 20,000+ locations in the United States and Canada, coordinating 15,000+ daily waste pickups through regional offices in Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Chicago, and Dallas, plus a British Columbia office. The company serves nine vertical segments including Corporate & Commercial, Sports & Entertainment, Multi-Unit Housing, Industrial & Logistics, Education, Government & Municipal, Healthcare, Hotel & Hospitality, and Retail & Food Service, with named enterprise customers including Bank of America, Google, Citi, JLL, and a roster of major league sports venues. In 2025, RTS secured one of five ten-year awards under New York City's Commercial Waste Zones program.

RTS generates revenue through three streams: subscription-based access to the RTS Portal and Pello sensors (annual billing, quote-based), usage-based waste and recycling collection services coordinated through a partner hauler network (Winters Bros., City Waste Services of NY, Regency Recycling, and others), and professional services for sustainability consulting. The company is certified as a B-Corporation and maintains a team of TRUE Zero Waste Advisors and LEED-accredited professionals. As of January 2025, RTS had raised over $135M in total disclosed funding across rounds led by Citi Impact Fund (2021 Series C) and Edison Partners (2025 financing), with participation from Volition Capital, StepStone Capital Partners, and others. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Greg Lettieri.

Name

Recycle Track Systems

Legal name

Recycle Track Systems, Inc.

Website

https://rts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Recycle Track Systems provides technology-enabled waste management and sustainability services to commercial enterprises and sports venues across 20,000+ U.S. and Canada locations, combining a cloud analytics platform with AI-powered IoT bin sensors and a partner hauler network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621), Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Recyclables Transfer & Consolidation (Single/Source-Separated) (BPALABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recycling, E-Waste & End-of-Life Takeback Programs (TLAAALAN), Waste, Recycling & Reusable Transport Item (RTI) Retrieval Routes (TLAAAEAK)

Keywords

• Commercial waste management
• Recycling management services
• IoT bin sensors
• Sustainability reporting platform
• Waste consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Platform Subscription: Subscription-based access to RTS Portal, Pello sensors, and analytics platform. Pricing varies based on facility count, volume, and service scope.
2. Waste Collection Services: Fee-based waste and recycling collection services coordinated through partner hauler network, billed based on volume and frequency.
3. Sustainability Consulting: Professional services for sustainability reporting, compliance, and waste reduction strategy development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Recycle Track Systems (RTS) provides technology-enabled commercial waste and recycling management services. The company combines its RTS Portal data platform, Pello AI-powered IoT bin sensors, and Cycle reverse vending machines with a managed service offering—coordinating waste collection through a partner hauler network across 20,000+ U.S. and Canadian locations. Customers receive real-time waste tracking, sustainability reporting, and consulting to meet ESG and zero-waste goals.

Product overview

Recycle Track Systems (RTS) offers a platform-plus-products portfolio combining technology products and managed services for commercial waste and recycling. The three core technology products are Pello (AI-powered IoT bin sensors, acquired via RecycleSmart Solutions), Cycle (gamified reverse vending machines, acquired via Cycle Technology), and the RTS Portal (a centralized data and reporting platform). These are complemented by a suite of managed services — waste management, recycling management, sustainability solutions, waste consulting, equipment offerings, and on-demand collection — all delivered through a trusted hauler network. The architecture is a hub-and-spoke model where the Portal serves as the central data and analytics layer, with Pello and Cycle feeding real-time operational data into it, and the managed services layer translating insights into physical collection and sustainability outcomes for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pello AI-powered IoT bin sensor that detects waste content, measures fill levels, and identifies contaminants in real time to optimize collection schedules and reduce costs. Available to enterprise customers for bin monitoring and route optimization.
• Cycle Reverse vending machine (RVM) technology with gamification and recycling rewards platform, enabling interactive recycling engagement at venues such as stadiums and retail locations.
• RTS Portal Centralized 24/7 customer reporting platform providing real-time visibility into waste and recycling operations, data analytics, invoice consolidation, and performance tracking across all locations.
• Waste Management Managed waste collection services coordinated through RTS's partner hauler network, billed based on volume and frequency for enterprise customers across multiple locations.
• Sustainability Solutions Sustainability program management delivering verified ESG outcomes, validated sustainability data, and customer-facing sustainability programs for enterprises and venues.
• Recycling Management Recycling collection and management services coordinated through RTS's partner hauler network, focused on improving recycling rates and material diversion for customers.
• Waste Consulting Professional services for sustainability reporting, compliance, TRUE Zero Waste certification guidance, LEED assessments, and waste reduction strategy development.
• Equipment Equipment offerings for waste and recycling operations, supplied as part of RTS's managed service portfolio for enterprise customers.
• On-Demand Collection On-demand waste and recycling collection services for customers with fluctuating or event-driven waste volumes, coordinated through the RTS hauler network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.2 million tons of waste diverted from landfills
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ABMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for AI-powered waste management solutions, combining ABM's facilities management expertise with RTS's technology platform.
• Washington NationalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sustainability management at Nationals Park, implementing comprehensive waste tracking and recycling programs for the MLB stadium.
• Philadelphia UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sustainability management at Talen Energy Stadium, implementing real-time waste monitoring and recycling initiatives for the MLS team.
• New York MetscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for waste management and sustainability initiatives at Citi Field, supporting the MLB team's environmental programs.
• Winters Bros.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal hauler partner in New York City area, providing waste collection and recycling services coordinated through RTS platform.
• City Waste Services of New YorkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal hauler partner in New York City, delivering waste collection services under RTS management and coordination.
• Regency RecyclingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal hauler partner providing recycling collection services in the New York metro area through the RTS partner network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Recology: Employee-owned West Coast integrated waste and recycling company with strong sustainability positioning; comparable in values-driven operating model though geographically distinct from RTS's U.S. East and Midwest focus.
• Casella Waste Systems: Vertically integrated solid waste, recycling, and resource management operator concentrated in the Northeast U.S. — overlapping with RTS's strongest geographic footprint and enterprise customer base.

Direct peers

• Rubicon Technologies: Technology-enabled waste and recycling services platform serving enterprise and municipal customers, with a SaaS-plus-services model that closely mirrors RTS's positioning as a digital layer over partner haulers.
• Compology: Provides smart-camera and sensor-based waste monitoring with route optimization and diversion analytics for haulers and large waste generators — directly comparable to RTS's Pello sensor and RTS Portal offerings.
• Bigbelly: Smart waste and recycling bin hardware with cloud-based monitoring and collection notifications, sold into the same campus, municipal, and commercial real estate customers RTS serves.

Emerging players

• AMP Robotics: Applies AI and robotics to materials recovery facilities for recycling sortation; adjacent in the AI-for-waste category and a potential partner or competitor in diversion analytics.
• Litterati: Data and community-engagement platform for tracking litter and waste; shares RTS's data-first approach to waste management and serves sustainability officers at similar enterprise customers.

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest U.S. waste and environmental services provider with national hauler fleet, recycling facilities, and growing digital/sustainability offerings that compete for the same enterprise budgets as RTS.
• Republic Services: Major U.S. waste and recycling hauler investing in sustainability technology and route optimization, providing both competitive pressure and a potential partnership counterparty for RTS.
• Suez North America: Global environmental services firm with significant U.S. recycling and circular-economy operations, providing enterprise sustainability and waste data services that overlap with RTS's sustainability reporting offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RTSGreen
• Facebookfacebook.com/RTSGreen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recycle-track-systems-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recycle Track Systems