Recyclebank
Recyclebank operates a US-only B2B2C loyalty rewards platform that sells subscription programs to municipalities, rewarding their residents with points for recycling and green actions redeemable at partner businesses. Revenue is generated via municipal subscriptions and affiliate economics from Reward Partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Recyclebank does
Recyclebank operates a B2B2C loyalty rewards platform that partners with US municipalities to incentivize residential recycling and other environmentally beneficial behaviors. The company, founded in 2004 and legally organized as RTS Recyclebank, LLC (a subsidiary of RTS Holding, Inc., a Delaware corporation), signs subscription contracts with cities, counties, and waste/recycling haulers; those municipalities in turn make the program available to their residents. Residents register through Recyclebank's website, earn points through actions such as curbside recycling (verified via hauler data), newsletter signups, quizzes, tree planting, and other educational or green-action activities, and redeem those points for discounts and deals at Reward Partners — local and national businesses that supply the redemption catalog.
The product surface is a single integrated rewards platform composed of three interlocking modules: Recyclebank Points (the virtual currency), the Reward Partners catalog (the redemption surface), and the Environmental Education layer (articles, quizzes, and programs that double as engagement and as additional point-earning mechanics). Underlying point calculation relies on data feeds from waste and recycling haulers, which quantify qualifying curbside activity. The company does not disclose any proprietary technology platform beyond a public website member experience, and no AI, machine-learning, API, or SDK surface is described in available sources.
Monetization flows through two streams: (1) recurring subscription contracts paid by municipalities for deployment of the rewards program to their residents, and (2) affiliate/referral and marketing-partner economics tied to Reward Partner and Marketing Partner transactions. The end-user consumer experience is free. The company describes its market as US residents aged 16+ living in enrolled municipalities, with primary paying customers being city and local-government procurement teams motivated by low participation rates and contamination in curbside recycling streams. Geographic scope is restricted to the United States, and the program is only available to residents of participating jurisdictions.
Recyclebank firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Recyclebank
- Legal name
- RTS Recyclebank, LLC
- Website
- https://recyclebank.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Recyclebank operates a US-only B2B2C loyalty rewards platform that sells subscription programs to municipalities, rewarding their residents with points for recycling and green actions redeemable at partner businesses. Revenue is generated via municipal subscriptions and affiliate economics from Reward Partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Recyclebank industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainability Loyalty and Recycling Engagement
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated) (BPABALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Source-Separated Recyclables Collection (Dual/Single-Stream) (EUAIAAAN)
Keywords
Where Recyclebank is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Recyclebank business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Municipality partnerships: Recyclebank partners with municipalities (cities and waste/recycling companies) who pay for the rewards program to increase recycling rates in their communities. The company helps municipalities incentivize residents to recycle properly.
- Marketing Partner and Reward Partner transactions: Recyclebank earns revenue through Reward Partners and Marketing Partners who offer deals and discounts to members. Points can be redeemed for rewards at local and national businesses.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Recyclebank product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Recyclebank delivers a household recycling rewards and engagement program that partners with municipalities and corporate sponsors to incentivize residents to recycle and adopt sustainable behaviors. Members earn Recyclebank Points for verified curbside recycling activity and participation in educational content, which they redeem for discounts and deals from local and national Reward Partner businesses. The offering combines environmental education (articles, quizzes, programs) with a points-based loyalty mechanic to drive sustained behavior change.
Product overview
Recyclebank operates as a single unified loyalty rewards platform focused on environmental sustainability. The core product is the Recyclebank Rewards Program, which consists of Recyclebank Points as the virtual currency and Reward Partners through which members redeem their points for discounts and deals. The platform also includes Environmental Education content (articles, quizzes, programs) that allows members to earn additional points while learning about recycling and sustainability. The three main components work together: members earn points through curbside recycling verification and educational activities, then redeem those points for rewards from participating local and national businesses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Recyclebank Rewards Program Subscription rewards and engagement program sold to municipalities and corporate sponsors that enables their residents to earn Recyclebank Points for verified curbside recycling and educational engagement, redeemable for discounts and deals at a network of local and national Reward Partner businesses.
Companies that use Recyclebank
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Recyclebank technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Recyclebank partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- Municipalities (Enrolled Municipalities)coreMunicipalities enroll in the Recyclebank Rewards Program to incentivize residents to recycle. These municipalities partner with Recyclebank to make the rewards program available to their residents and help improve recycling participation rates in their communities.
- Reward PartnerscoreLocal and national businesses provide rewards that members can redeem with Recyclebank Points. Reward Partners offer discounts and deals across various categories including local businesses and national retailers.
- Marketing PartnersminorThird parties that participate in marketing partner transactions, contributing to the earning of Recyclebank Points through various promotional activities.
- Waste/Recycling Companies and HaulerscoreCompanies involved in waste management and recycling operations partner with Recyclebank. They provide data on recycling collections and help calculate Recyclebank Points based on qualifying recycling activities.
- RTS Holding, Inc.flagshipRTS Holding, Inc. is the parent company of Recyclebank. Recyclebank is a subsidiary of RTS Holding, Inc., a Delaware corporation. RTS provides corporate governance and ownership structure.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Recyclebank competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Recology: Employee-owned hauling and recycling company with strong commitment to zero-waste and high diversion. Competes for the same municipality mandate of maximizing recycling participation and reducing contamination.
Regional players
- Casella Waste Systems: Regional U.S. hauler with a strong recycling services portfolio and growing investment in sustainability and diversion programs. Comparable as a regional incumbent serving municipal recycling contracts.
Broad incumbents
- Waste Management: North America's largest waste and recycling hauler and a known Recyclebank investor/partner. Operates municipal contracts directly and has been rolling out smart-bin and recycling-incentive programs that compete with Recyclebank's behavior-incentive layer.
- Republic Services: Top-three U.S. residential waste and recycling hauler, serving thousands of municipalities with curbside recycling collection. Pursues recycling-rate improvement via its own resident engagement and diversion programs.
Emerging players
- ReCollect Systems: Provider of digital waste-collection apps, smart-route software, and resident communications for municipalities and haulers. Overlaps with Recyclebank's resident-education and engagement role within municipal recycling contracts.
- Rubicon Technologies: Tech-enabled waste and recycling hauler building digital platforms (RUBICONConnect, hauler apps) that digitize municipal recycling and resident engagement, partially overlapping with Recyclebank's behavior-incentive value prop.
- Recycle Coach: Mobile/web resident education app for municipal recycling and waste programs, with pickup reminders, search, and contamination-reduction content. Directly competes with Recyclebank's environmental-education product on resident engagement.
Others
- Closed Loop Partners: Investment firm and platform building circular economy infrastructure, including programs that finance and validate municipal recycling and consumer-packaging recovery — adjacent to Recyclebank's sustainability-rewards mission.
- Cascadia Consulting Group: Environmental consulting firm that designs and evaluates recycling behavior-change, waste characterization, and contamination-reduction programs for municipalities — the analytical layer alongside Recyclebank's incentive layer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Recyclebank social profiles
Digital presenceRecyclebank financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Recyclebank leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Recyclebank funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Recyclebank 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 Recyclebank
What does Recyclebank do?
Recyclebank delivers a household recycling rewards and engagement program that partners with municipalities and corporate sponsors to incentivize residents to recycle and adopt sustainable behaviors. Members earn Recyclebank Points for verified curbside recycling activity and participation in educational content, which they redeem for discounts and deals from local and national Reward Partner businesses. The offering combines environmental education (articles, quizzes, programs) with a points-based loyalty mechanic to drive sustained behavior change.
Is Recyclebank a public or private company?
Recyclebank is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Recyclebank founded?
Recyclebank was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Recyclebank based?
Recyclebank is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Recyclebank make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Municipality partnerships are the primary driver. The others are marketing Partner and Reward Partner transactions.
Who are Recyclebank's main competitors?
Recology is listed as a direct peer. Casella Waste Systems is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Waste Management and Republic Services. Emerging players are ReCollect Systems, Rubicon Technologies and Recycle Coach. Others are Closed Loop Partners and Cascadia Consulting Group.
Does Recyclebank have an API?
No public API is recorded for Recyclebank.
What industry is Recyclebank in?
Recyclebank's product category is Sustainability Loyalty and Recycling Engagement. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABALAB, On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated), with a secondary code of EUAIAAAN, Source-Separated Recyclables Collection (Dual/Single-Stream). Its NAICS code is 56211 and its SIC code is 4953.