What Re.Group does

Re.Group is an Australian recycling and resource recovery company founded in 2013 and headquartered in North Sydney, operating as the only Australian firm that designs, builds, owns and operates recycling systems end-to-end. The company runs 13 facilities across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT, processing 500,000+ tonnes of material annually and serving 4 million+ people across 35+ local government areas. Its service portfolio spans Material Recovery Facilities under the Re.Cycle brand (commingled 'yellow bin' recyclables), FOGO processing under Re.Grow (food organics and garden organics turned into compost), Container Deposit Scheme operations under Return-It (depots, Reverse Vending Machines, Digital Smart Bins and the ReCollect household collection app), and engineering design services through RDT Engineering.

The underlying technology stack combines 7 optical sorting units with AI-powered robotic sorting at the flagship Southern Adelaide MRF, achieving 95% accuracy and nearly doubling pick rates through computer vision that recognises materials in piled, non-singulated waste and learns new packaging automatically. FOGO facilities use aerated tunnel composting systems with biofiltration developed in partnership with Dutch technology vendors, and the in-house Re.Assure system standardises safety management across the network. RDT Engineering has delivered 70+ turnkey resource recovery projects since 2004 across Australia and New Zealand, providing a proprietary engineering capability that is rare among peers.

Re.Group earns revenue through managed-service contracts with local councils (kerbside recycling and MRF processing), per-container handling fees as Network/Major Operator in five state Container Deposit Schemes (ACT, QLD, WA, NSW, Victoria), FOGO compost sales into agricultural and horticultural markets, and external engineering consulting. Customer segments are dominated by Australian local and state governments, with a secondary commercial-and-industrial stream and a consumer-facing depot/app footprint operated under the Return-It brand. Customer acquisition is primarily through government procurement and tender processes, supplemented by direct-to-consumer awareness of CDS locations.

Name

Re.Group

Legal name

Re.Group Pty Limited

Website

https://re-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Re.Group is an Australian recycling and resource recovery operator that designs, builds, owns, and operates Material Recovery Facilities, FOGO composting sites, and Container Deposit Scheme depots across five Australian states, serving 4 million+ people through long-term local-government and state-government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling and Resource Recovery Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) & Single-Stream Recycling Processing (IMAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Single-Stream MRF Operations (Residential Curbside Sorting) (BPALADAA), Reusable Packaging & Refill Systems (Returnable Transport Items, Deposit/DRS Ops) (EUAIANAE), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Material recovery facilities
• Container deposit schemes
• Food organics processing
• Resource recovery services
• Recycling infrastructure engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Kerbside Recycling Services: Provides kerbside recycling collection and MRF processing services to local government councils. Revenue generated through service contracts with councils for processing household yellow bin materials.
2. Container Deposit Scheme Operations: Operates Return-It container deposit refund depots and RVMs across multiple Australian states. Earns fees for processing containers through government-appointed network operator roles in ACT, QLD, WA, NSW, and Victoria.
3. FOGO Processing and Compost Sales: Processes food organics and garden organics into high quality compost products sold in agricultural, horticultural and retail markets.
4. Engineering Services (RDT): RDT Engineering provides turnkey projects and engineering analysis for waste and recycling facilities to councils and commercial clients across Australia and New Zealand.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Re.Group designs, builds, owns and operates recycling and resource recovery infrastructure end-to-end, providing kerbside recycling processing at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) under the Re.Cycle brand, Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) processing into compost under Re.Grow, and Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) network operations across multiple Australian states via the Return-It brand. The company also runs an in-house engineering team (RDT Engineering) that delivers turnkey facility projects and operates consumer-facing container refund depots, Reverse Vending Machines, Digital Smart Bins and the ReCollect mobile app.

Product overview

Re.Group is an integrated recycling and resource recovery company offering a portfolio of services that includes Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) under the Re.Cycle brand for commingled recycling, Re.Grow for food and garden organics processing, Return-It for container deposit scheme operations including depots and Reverse Vending Machines, and RDT Engineering for facility design and optimization. The company also provides ReCollect household collection services via a mobile app, educational resources including the Recycle Mate app and video content, and operates Digital Smart Bins. These products work together to form an end-to-end resource recovery ecosystem covering collection, processing, and education across Australia and New Zealand, servicing over 4 million people across more than 35 local government areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Recycle Mate: A mobile app and website initiative that helps users recycle correctly anywhere in Australia, developed by the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) with support from Re.Group councils.
• Re.Assure

Products and services

• Re.Cycle (Commingled Recycling) Material Recovery Facility (MRF) operations processing commingled 'yellow bin' household recyclables (cardboard, mixed paper, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, HDPE, PET plastics, glass) into recyclable commodities, delivered to local government councils across Australia.
• Re.Grow (Food and Garden Organics Processing) Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) processing using aerated tunnel composting with advanced control systems and engineered biofiltration, converting household organics into high-quality compost for agricultural, horticultural and retail markets.
• Return-It Container Deposit Scheme Operations Container Deposit Scheme network operations delivering modern container deposit refund systems through in-store cash-back depots, Reverse Vending Machines and Digital Smart Bins across ACT, QLD, WA, NSW and Victoria, with 10c per eligible container refund.
• RDT Engineering Services Engineering design, feasibility studies, engineering analysis and turnkey projects for waste and recycling facilities delivered to councils and commercial clients across Australia and New Zealand.
• Return-It Digital Smart Bin (DSB) Digital Smart Bin with charopy contamination-prevention technology and multi-media display, deployed as a CDS collection point at locations including the Australian National University campus in ACT.
• Return-It Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) Automated Reverse Vending Machine that scans and counts deposited containers and offers refund options to Return-It Express accounts or donations to local charity partners; deployed at retail locations across ACT and other Return-It states.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ diversion from landfill at Material Recovery Facilities
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• VicReturncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2023Partnership with Victorian scheme coordinator for CDS Vic. Return-It operates as one of three Network Operators in Victoria for Southern Melbourne and Gippsland regions, with scheme launching November 2023.
• Southern Region Waste Resource Authority (SRWRA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Joint venture partnership to develop and operate Southern Materials Recovery Facility (SMRF) at Seaford Heights, South Australia. SRWRA is a joint subsidiary of City of Onkaparinga, City of Marion, and City of Holdfast Bay. The 20-30 year operating term joint venture aims to create a more resilient recycling sector for South Australia with $25M+ investment.
• Shellharbour City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership to develop and operate Dunmore FOGO facility processing household organics. Facility currently services Shellharbour's 70,000 population (growing to 85,000 by 2036) with licensed capacity for 50,000 tonnes/annum.
• Townsville City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Long-term partnership for MRF operations processing household yellow bin recyclables from North Queensland's 192,000 residents since July 2017. Facility has capacity to process 25,000t/annum.
• Exchange for ChangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACT Container Deposit Scheme partnership with scheme coordinator Exchange for Change. Return-It serves as Network Operator for the ACT CDS since scheme launch in 2018.
• Containers for Change QLDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Queensland scheme coordinator. Return-It serves as Major Operator with over 100 refund points across Queensland since November 2018. Scheme has recycled over 5 billion containers.
• EcobattminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to introduce battery recycling units at Return-It ACT Depots. Addresses safety concerns about batteries incorrectly disposed in recycling bins.
• Battery Stewardship CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReturn-It serves as collection point partner for used battery recycling, supporting the battery stewardship journey.
• Regional Alliance West (RAW)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity partnership providing Geraldton community first-class container refund service while supporting RAW's community work. Wonthella Return-It Depot is WA's most successful regional CDS. RAW received first partner payment of $31k with over $116,000 donated by community members.
• St Pat's Community CentrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting St Pat's services in Mandurah, Rockingham, Fremantle, and Perth CBD. Return-It provided $62k in partner payments enabling significant community services including 16,465 meals and 300 beds.
• RDT EngineeringcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternal engineering team headquartering in Brisbane. Leading provider of upgrades and enhancements to resource recovery facilities across Australia and New Zealand. Over 70 turnkey projects delivered since 2004. Designs CDS infrastructure and supports innovation.
• Supply NationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRe.Group became member of Australia's leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supplier database on #Closethegapday, supporting Indigenous businesses and reconciliation.
• Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRe.Group Managing Director David Singh is Director and past President of ACOR. Recycle Mate is an initiative of ACOR that Re.Group supports.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Cleanaway Waste Management: Australia's largest listed waste management company (ASX: CWY), operating solid waste collection, recycling and resource recovery across the country. Directly comparable to Re.Group's MRF, FOGO and council services but at far greater scale and with a broader portfolio including hazardous waste and liquid waste.
• Visy: Privately-held Australian packaging and recycling giant that operates its own MRFs, paper mills and glass processing. Closely comparable to Re.Group on materials recovery and end-market integration, but vertically integrated into manufacturing rather than service-only.
• Veolia Australia and New Zealand: Global waste and resource recovery operator with significant Australian and New Zealand presence providing collection, MRF, organics and industrial services. Comparable to Re.Group's MRF and FOGO offerings, with deeper water and industrial waste capabilities.
• Remondis Australia: Australian arm of German global recycling and water services group Remondis, operating MRFs and collection networks across multiple states. Comparable to Re.Group's collection and materials recovery operations with international backing.

Direct peers

• Bingo Industries: ASX-listed (acquired 2022 by CPE/now part of Cleanaway) recycling and waste services provider operating MRFs and C&D recovery in NSW, VIC and QLD. Highly comparable to Re.Group's Re.Cycle operations and overlapping footprint post-Polytrade.
• TOMRA: Norwegian technology and reverse vending machine company operating in collection and CDS globally, including Australia. Directly comparable to Re.Group's Return-It CDS depot and RVM operations, but TOMRA is more technology/infrastructure focused versus operator-led.
• ResourceCo: Australian resource recovery and recycling company operating MRFs, organics processing and C&D recycling facilities across multiple states. Highly comparable in service mix to Re.Group, with a stronger C&D tilt and listed parent (ResourceCo Group).
• Alex Fraser Group: Australian Construction & Demolition recycling specialist (subsidiary of Laing O'Rourke) operating MRFs in VIC, NSW and QLD producing recycled aggregates and road base. Comparable to Re.Group's MRF operations with a focus on heavy recyclables and infrastructure end markets.
• Repurpose It: Melbourne-based C&D and commercial recycling operator with growing MRF footprint. Comparable emerging MRF operator to Re.Group's Re.Cycle business, though more regionally concentrated in Victoria.
• Solo Resource Recovery: Privately-held Australian waste and recycling company providing kerbside collection, MRF processing and CDS services, particularly in regional NSW. Comparable mid-scale MRF and collection operator with overlapping council customer base to Re.Group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Re.Group