The ReCollective
The ReCollective is a Durham, NC-based subscription service that picks up hard-to-recycle household materials (plastics, textiles, batteries, bulbs, styrofoam, food scraps) from front doors across the Triangle region and routes them to local reuse, recycling, or composting partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The ReCollective does
The ReCollective is a Durham, North Carolina-based subscription waste diversion service that collects hard-to-recycle household materials from members' front doors and routes them to reuse, recycling, or composting partners. Founded in September 2022 by Bryce and Kevin Younge, the company operates a monthly pickup service covering 8+ material categories — plastic film, textiles, batteries, light bulbs, styrofoam, crinkly packaging, electronics, and rotating "ReCo Picks" — using reusable canvas bags that members receive and return each month. Materials are diverted at a reported split of 35% recycled, 40% reused, and 25% composted, with reuse prioritized before recycling in line with a circular economy model.
The product portfolio includes the core Hard-To-Recycle Service ($15.50/month base), the OneStop Organics add-on with a Purple Bin and weekly cleaning for food scraps, the Almost Anything Bag mailback program for customers within 500 miles of the warehouse, dedicated Apartment & Condo Services with group pricing, Community Composting drop-off, and a Specialty Add-ons shop covering clamshells, #5 plastics, paint, fluorescent tubes, shredding, and electronics. The company maintains a partner network of 15+ local organizations — including Scrap Exchange, Triangle Ecycling, Orange Recycling Services, Durham Farmers' Market, and the Global Recycling Consortium — that absorb the downstream material streams.
The business is bootstrapped with no PE or VC backing and has raised only $60,000 across three small rounds since 2022. It serves 1,000+ homes across Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Apex, and Holly Springs, with a staff of 1-10. GTM is direct-to-consumer via website, Facebook, Instagram, local media coverage, and member-driven word-of-mouth referrals, with explicit encouragement for members to share bag space with neighbors.
The ReCollective firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The ReCollective
- Legal name
- The ReCollective, Inc
- Website
- https://therecollective.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The ReCollective is a Durham, NC-based subscription service that picks up hard-to-recycle household materials (plastics, textiles, batteries, bulbs, styrofoam, food scraps) from front doors across the Triangle region and routes them to local reuse, recycling, or composting partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The ReCollective industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Residential Recycling & Composting Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (56211), Other Waste Collection (562119)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling (HSAKALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Residential Subscription / Backdoor Collection (EUAIAAAB), Eco-Friendly Disposal, Recycling & Donation Hauling (HSAIAOAJ), Donation, Recycling & Junk Sorting for Garages/Basements/Attics (HSAFADAI), Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA), Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise) (BPALAEAF)
Keywords
Where The ReCollective is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The ReCollective business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Monthly Membership Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription service for hard-to-recycle pickup. Members pay a monthly fee and receive regular pickup of multiple material categories including plastic film, textiles, batteries, light bulbs, styrofoam, and rotating ReCo Picks.
- OneStop Organics Add-on: Premium tier adding composting service with Purple Bin for food scraps, weekly bin cleaning, impact reporting, and option to earn compost back or receive free specialty recycling.
- Specialty Add-ons: Additional paid services including extra capacity, clamshells ($2/bag), #5 plastics ($2/bag), paint, fluorescent tubes, paper shredding, printers, monitors, and Fillaree soap refills.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Hard-To-Recycle Monthly Membership starting at $15.50/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | OneStop Membership including Hard-To-Recycle plus Composting |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The ReCollective product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The ReCollective operates a monthly subscription-based curbside pickup service that collects hard-to-recycle household materials (plastic bags/film, styrofoam, textiles, batteries, light bulbs, small electronics, and other specialty items) directly from members' homes across the Triangle, NC region. An optional OneStop tier adds food-scrap composting with a Purple Bin and weekly bin cleaning, while the Almost Anything Bag mailback program extends service to households up to 500 miles from the warehouse. Materials are routed through a network of 15+ local partners under a circular-economy model that prioritizes reuse (40%) before recycling (35%) and composting (25%).
Product overview
The-reCollective operates as a subscription-based waste management service offering curbside pickup of hard-to-recycle materials. The core Hard-To-Recycle Service provides monthly pickup of plastics, textiles, batteries, bulbs, styrofoam, and other difficult-to-recycle items using reusable canvas bags. This core offering is supplemented by OneStop (which adds composting/food scrap pickup), ReCo Picks (rotating specialty materials), and various specialty add-ons (clamshells, #5 plastics, paint, electronics, etc.). For customers outside service areas, the Almost Anything Bag mailback program extends access. The company also serves apartments/condos with group pricing. The service emphasizes circular economy principles, prioritizing reuse (40% of items) over recycling (35%) and composting (25%).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hard-To-Recycle Monthly Pickup Service Monthly curbside pickup subscription service for individual households in the Triangle, NC region covering 8+ different hard-to-recycle materials per month (plastic film, styrofoam, textiles, batteries, light bulbs, small electronics, shredded paper) and over 30 unique materials annually, using reusable canvas bags with a focus on reuse-first diversion.
- OneStop Organics & Composting Service Premium subscription tier that adds food-scrap and organics collection to the Hard-To-Recycle service via a Purple Bin with weekly bin cleaning, impact reporting, choice of pickup week, optional compost-back credit, and free specialty recycling, serving Durham/Cary/Raleigh households seeking single-bin diversion of organics alongside hard-to-recycle materials.
- Almost Anything Bag (Mailback Program) Mailback program that lets customers living outside the Triangle, NC home pickup zone (but within 500 miles of the Durham warehouse) send hard-to-recycle materials by mail for sorting, reuse, and recycling through The ReCollective's partner network.
- Community Composting Drop-off Community-scale food-scrap drop-off composting program for residents in areas where OneStop individual pickup service is not yet available, providing a low-friction entry point to organics diversion.
- Apartment & Condo Recycling Service Hard-to-recycle and composting service variant designed for apartment and condominium residents in the Triangle, NC area, with group discounts when 5 or more neighbors sign up and coordinated pickup from apartment doors, community areas, or garages.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35% of collected items recycled, 40% reused, 25% composted
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The ReCollective
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The ReCollective technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The ReCollective partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Scrap ExchangecoreDurham-based nonprofit creative reuse center that accepts materials for creative reuse. The ReCollective partners with Scrap Exchange to divert usable materials from landfill.
- Friends of the Durham LibraryminorNonprofit organization that supports the Durham County Library system through fundraising and programs.
- Triangle EcyclingminorLocal electronics recycling service provider for proper disposal of e-waste.
- Orange Recycling ServicesminorLocal recycling services provider serving Orange County, NC area.
- FillareeminorThrough partnership with Fillaree, members may purchase refills of Fillaree Soap & Suds Hand & Body Soap and Fillaree Clean Plate Club Dish Soap to be delivered when their hard-to-recycle items are picked up.
- Durham Farmers' MarketminorFood scrap drop-off program available at the Durham Farmers' Market for customers where OneStop pickup service is not yet available.
- Global Recycling ConsortiumminorAffiliation with regional recycling initiatives and organizations working to improve waste diversion.
- Gather GreenminorBryce, co-founder of The ReCollective, is also the owner of Durham-based Gather Green, suggesting a related business relationship or shared founder.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The ReCollective competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ridwell: Ridwell operates a subscription home-pickup service for hard-to-recycle items (plastic film, batteries, bulbs, textiles, light bulbs) using reusable bags on a monthly cadence—almost identical GTM to The ReCollective but operating across multiple U.S. metros with venture backing. Most directly comparable peer in the category.
- CompostNow:
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights3 records
Customer concentration
The ReCollective social profiles
Digital presenceThe ReCollective financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The ReCollective leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The ReCollective funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The ReCollective M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The ReCollective
What does The ReCollective do?
The ReCollective operates a monthly subscription-based curbside pickup service that collects hard-to-recycle household materials (plastic bags/film, styrofoam, textiles, batteries, light bulbs, small electronics, and other specialty items) directly from members' homes across the Triangle, NC region. An optional OneStop tier adds food-scrap composting with a Purple Bin and weekly bin cleaning, while the Almost Anything Bag mailback program extends service to households up to 500 miles from the warehouse. Materials are routed through a network of 15+ local partners under a circular-economy model that prioritizes reuse (40%) before recycling (35%) and composting (25%).
Is The ReCollective a public or private company?
The ReCollective is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The ReCollective founded?
The ReCollective was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The ReCollective based?
The ReCollective is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does The ReCollective make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Monthly Membership Subscription is the primary driver. The others are oneStop Organics Add-on and specialty Add-ons.
Who are The ReCollective's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ridwell and CompostNow.
Does The ReCollective have an API?
No public API is recorded for The ReCollective.
What industry is The ReCollective in?
The ReCollective's product category is Residential Recycling & Composting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKALAI, Donation Pickup & Reuse Hauling, with a secondary code of EUAIAAAB, Residential Subscription / Backdoor Collection. Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.