The Recycling Partnership
The Recycling Partnership is a U.S. national nonprofit that improves residential recycling through data, grants, and technical assistance to 370+ communities, 9,000+ recycling programs, and 80+ corporate funders, operating the National Recycling Database and three material-specific coalitions (PET, Polypropylene, Film & Flexibles).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersFalls Church, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Recycling Partnership does
The Recycling Partnership is a U.S. national nonprofit founded in 2014 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., that mobilizes funding, data, and technical assistance to improve residential recycling across more than 9,000 community programs. Its core asset is the National Recycling Database, a first-of-its-kind dataset covering 97-99% of the U.S. population that underpins a suite of free digital tools: the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool, Plastic IQ (co-developed with SYSTEMIQ), the Recycling Program Solutions Hub, the Recycle Check dynamic labeling platform, and the Recycling Confidence Index. The organization runs a community-led go-to-market, distributing grants (~$50M deployed to 370 communities since 2014), contamination-reduction toolkits, and technical assistance to local governments and MRFs, while engaging brands and policymakers through coalitions and policy advocacy.
The business model is nonprofit, funded by more than 80 corporate partners (Procter & Gamble, Arconic, Milliken, Niagara Cares, Primo Brands, the Walmart Foundation, and others), foundation grants, and federal programs such as the EPA SWIFR grant. Revenue is generated through corporate contributions, foundation grants, and government pass-through funding, with services and digital tools provided free of charge to communities. The organization also operates three material-specific coalitions—PET, Polypropylene, and Film & Flexibles—that aggregate brand, MRF, and municipal stakeholders around targeted infrastructure investments; coalitions have deployed $19M (PP), $6.5M+ (PET), and ~$5M (Film & Flexibles) respectively.
The Partnership serves five primary verticals: local governments and community recycling programs (primary), MRFs and processors, brands and packaging designers, material producers and recyclers, and policymakers. Cumulative impact since 2014 includes 2 billion+ pounds of recyclables diverted, 2.6 million+ metric tons of CO2e avoided, and 2 million+ recycling carts deployed. The organization is in a leadership transition, with founder/CEO Keefe Harrison departing after 12 years effective July 31, 2026, and a national CEO search underway.
The Recycling Partnership firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Recycling Partnership
- Legal name
- The Recycling Partnership
- Website
- https://recyclingpartnership.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Recycling Partnership is a U.S. national nonprofit that improves residential recycling through data, grants, and technical assistance to 370+ communities, 9,000+ recycling programs, and 80+ corporate funders, operating the National Recycling Database and three material-specific coalitions (PET, Polypropylene, Film & Flexibles).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Recycling Partnership industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recycling Infrastructure and Circular Economy Services
- NAICS
- Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (56)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated) (BPABALAB), Recycling Transfer & Consolidation (Single-Stream, Dual-Stream, Source-Separated) (EUAIABAC), Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA), Film & Flexible Plastics Recycling (LDPE/LLDPE, Multilayer) (EUAIAKAE)
Keywords
Where The Recycling Partnership is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Falls Church
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Recycling Partnership business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Corporate and Brand Funding Partnerships: The Recycling Partnership receives funding from more than 80 companies including Procter & Gamble, Arconic, Milliken & Co., Niagara Cares, and Primo Brands who invest in the system to make their packaging more circular and meet sustainability goals
- Foundation and Government Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations such as the Walmart Foundation and government programs including EPA's SWIFR grant program to fund community recycling improvements
- Philanthropic Contributions: The nonprofit has provided nearly $50 million in grants to 370 communities since 2014, funded through donations and contributions
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free community grants and technical assistance for recycling programs |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free digital tools for brands and packaging designers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Recycling Partnership product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit that provides grants, technical assistance, and free digital tools to U.S. communities, materials recovery facilities, brands, and policymakers to improve residential recycling. It operates the National Recycling Database covering 9,000+ community programs, deploys community grants and material-specific coalitions (PET, Polypropylene, Film & Flexibles), and runs the Recycling Policy Accelerator to advance circular economy policy.
Product overview
The Recycling Partnership operates as a non-profit organization mobilizing people, data, and solutions across the recycling value chain to reduce waste and environmental impact while unlocking economic benefits. The organization functions as a platform plus coalition model with interconnected products and programs. Core products include the National Recycling Database (covering 99% of U.S. population across over 9,000 community programs), the free Recycling Program Solutions Hub for local recycling staff, the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool for brands to evaluate packaging recyclability, and Plastic IQ for plastic packaging strategy. These are complemented by the Recycling Confidence Index for tracking public trust, Recycle Check dynamic labeling platform, and contamination toolkits. The organization also manages three material-specific coalitions (Film and Flexibles, PET, and Polypropylene Recycling Coalitions) that drive targeted improvements and grants. Policy initiatives include the Recycling Policy Accelerator and CIRCLE Act advocacy. The portfolio spans data tools, community grants, behavior change research, material-specific coalitions, and policy advocacy—all working together to advance the circular economy for packaging.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Recycling Participation Fund: An investment model that helps communities increase recycling participation and accelerate progress toward recycling rate goals.
- Recycling Confidence Index
- Center for Sustainable Behavior & Impact
- Film and Flexibles Recycling Coalition
- PET Recycling Coalition
- Polypropylene Recycling Coalition
Products and services
- National Recycling Database First-of-its-kind resource offering detailed, localized recycling information from more than 9,000 unique community recycling programs across the U.S., covering communities with at least 2,500 households and representing 97-99% of the U.S. population.
- Recycling Program Solutions Hub Free interactive digital resource for local recycling staff and program leaders to access critical recycling program data, optimize programs, and manage community data accuracy, powered by the National Recycling Database.
- Circular Packaging Assessment Tool
- Plastic IQ Free data-driven digital resource created by The Recycling Partnership and SYSTEMIQ to help U.S. companies develop effective plastic packaging strategies and prioritize solutions to advance circularity.
- Recycle Check Dynamic labeling platform delivering real-time, localized disposal instructions on packaging across the U.S., providing consumers with accurate, zip code-specific recycling information.
- What Can I Recycle Chatbot Chatbot that provides residents with accurate, up-to-date information about packaging by zip code based on the National Recycling Database.
- Community Grants Program Grant opportunities for U.S. communities and recycling facilities to improve access, collections, operations, and processing; nearly $50 million has been provided to 370 communities since 2014.
- Recycling Participation Fund Investment model that helps communities increase recycling participation and accelerate progress toward recycling rate goals, backed by major corporations and deployed in priority regions.
- Recycling Policy Accelerator Program bringing together public and private partners to pursue policy solutions that create a more circular economy through smart recycling policy advocacy, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidance.
- Recycling Confidence Index Longitudinal study tracking public confidence in recycling across 10 measured factors, providing quantifiable tracking of public trust over time.
Quantifiable outcome
- Increased state recycling rate from 14% to 25% in Michigan through sustained investment
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Recycling Partnership
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Recycling Partnership technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
The Recycling Partnership partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Circular Action Alliance (CAA)coreProducer responsibility organization submitting California program plan under SB 54; The Recycling Partnership issued statement supporting the plan's advancement of implementation
- Cascade EngineeringcoreManufacturing partner for Flint, Michigan cart rollout, joining with Mayor Neeley, EGLE, and The Recycling Partnership for 68,000+ free curbside carts
- Hampton Roads Planning District CommissioncoreWorking with The Recycling Partnership as subawardee on $1.96 million EPA grant to conduct cart tagging program across 32,000 households in Virginia
- Leadpoint USAminorLabor provider for Hampton Roads cart tagging program, providing personnel for contamination reduction outreach
- Republic ServicescoreWaste management partner in Oregon Clean Cart program with Deschutes County Solid Waste, City of Bend, and Cascade Disposal
- FCC Environmental ServicescoreRecipient of $4.25 million grant from The Recycling Partnership for Houston MRF retrofit to improve film and flexible packaging recovery, partially funding equipment from Van Dyk Recycling Solutions including Tomra optical sorters
- How2RecyclecoreIndustry consortium that designated polypropylene cups as 'Widely Recyclable' through collaboration with Starbucks, WM, NextGen Consortium, and The Recycling Partnership
- NextGen ConsortiumcoreIndustry initiative managed by Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy, co-leading polypropylene recycling designation with How2Recycle and The Recycling Partnership
- StarbuckscoreCollaborated with WM, How2Recycle, The Recycling Partnership, and NextGen Consortium to achieve 'Widely Recyclable' designation for polypropylene cups, enabling 60%+ household access
- WMcoreCollaborated on polypropylene cup recycling initiative; invested $1.4 billion since 2022 in sorting automation at nearly 40 facilities, with 90%+ able to process polypropylene
- Flexible Film Recycling AlliancecoreCoalition member participating in discussions on film and flexible packaging recycling barriers at Northeast Recycling Council webinar
- US Flexible Film InitiativecoreCoalition member participating in discussions on film and flexible packaging recycling barriers at Northeast Recycling Council webinar
- DelterracoreCoalition member participating in discussions on film and flexible packaging recycling barriers at Northeast Recycling Council webinar
- Circular Action Alliance (CAA)coreNational packaging producer responsibility organization coordinating responsible end market verification standards across Oregon, California, and Colorado with state regulators and Association of Plastic Recyclers
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Recycling Partnership competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Closed Loop Partners: Closed Loop Partners is an investment firm and innovation platform funding circular economy and recycling infrastructure. Most comparable peer to TRP — both fund MRF upgrades, run material-specific coalitions (NextGen, PET), deploy multi-million dollar grants, and partner with brands like P&G and Starbucks on recycling initiatives.
- Keep America Beautiful: Keep America Beautiful is a national nonprofit focused on litter prevention, recycling education, and community beautification across the U.S. Direct peer in mission and structure — both are nonprofit recyclers education-focused national organizations that partner with municipalities and corporate sponsors.
- How2Recycle: How2Recycle is an industry coalition that designates packaging recyclability (e.g., 'Widely Recyclable' for PP cups). Closely collaborates with TRP and replaces a similar upstream role of providing standardized recyclability guidance to brands, retailers, and packaging designers.
Broad incumbents
- Waste Management (WM): WM is the largest U.S. waste and recycling hauler operating hundreds of MRFs. Strategic partner to TRP (e.g., PP cup recyclability initiative, Oregon Clean Cart). Comparable as incumbent recycler TRP seeks to influence, with broader operations but less specialization in policy and community grants.
- Republic Services: Republic Services is a major U.S. waste and recycling hauler partnering with TRP on community contamination-reduction programs (Oregon Clean Cart). A broad incumbent offering recycling collection that overlaps with TRP's community program focus, but operates for-profit across the full waste value chain.
Emerging players
- Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC): SPC is an industry working group under GreenBlue focused on sustainable packaging design. Adjacent player that overlaps with TRP's Circular Packaging Assessment Tool and How2Recycle-style label guidance, but focused upstream on packaging design rather than community-level recycling infrastructure.
- As You Sow: As You Sow is a nonprofit that uses shareholder advocacy to push corporations on packaging waste and recycling. Complementary to TRP — both push for EPR and circular economy — but As You Sow pressures companies through SEC filings rather than grants and community programs.
- Plastic Pollution Coalition: Plastic Pollution Coalition is a global nonprofit alliance working to end plastic pollution. Adjacent mission (circular economy, EPR advocacy) but more upstream and advocacy-focused than TRP, which is operationally focused on community recycling infrastructure and grants.
Regional players
- Casella Waste Systems: Casella is a regional Northeast U.S. waste and recycling hauler running recycling programs in many communities TRP serves. Comparable as a downstream recycling operator focused on a specific geography, similar in operating ethos (resource renewal) but commercial rather than nonprofit.
Others
- Resource Recycling: Resource Recycling is an industry publication tracking U.S. recycling news, policy, and technology. Thematic peer — covers the same ecosystem and audience (municipalities, MRFs, brands) but is a media organization rather than a program operator or grantmaker.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Recycling Partnership social profiles
Digital presenceThe Recycling Partnership financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Recycling Partnership leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Recycling Partnership funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Recycling Partnership M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Recycling Partnership
What does The Recycling Partnership do?
The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit that provides grants, technical assistance, and free digital tools to U.S. communities, materials recovery facilities, brands, and policymakers to improve residential recycling. It operates the National Recycling Database covering 9,000+ community programs, deploys community grants and material-specific coalitions (PET, Polypropylene, Film & Flexibles), and runs the Recycling Policy Accelerator to advance circular economy policy.
Is The Recycling Partnership a public or private company?
The Recycling Partnership is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Recycling Partnership founded?
The Recycling Partnership was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Recycling Partnership based?
The Recycling Partnership is headquartered in Falls Church, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Recycling Partnership make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Corporate and Brand Funding Partnerships are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Government Grants and philanthropic Contributions.
Who are The Recycling Partnership's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Closed Loop Partners, Keep America Beautiful and How2Recycle. Broad incumbents are Waste Management (WM) and Republic Services. Emerging players are Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), As You Sow and Plastic Pollution Coalition. Casella Waste Systems is listed as a regional player. Resource Recycling is listed as an others.
Does The Recycling Partnership have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Recycling Partnership.
What industry is The Recycling Partnership in?
The Recycling Partnership's product category is Recycling Infrastructure and Circular Economy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAH, Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration, with a secondary code of BPABALAB, On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated). Its NAICS code is 562 and its SIC code is 4953.