What Cleanlites Recycling does

Cleanlites Recycling is a U.S. specialty waste management company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It operates six recycling facilities across Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and South Carolina, serving corporate, government, healthcare, OEM, retail, residential, financial, energy, and automotive customers with a broad portfolio that includes electronics recycling, IT asset disposition (ITAD) with secure data destruction, medical device disposal, hazardous and universal waste management, battery, lamp, ballast, PCB, mercury, and aerosol recycling, plus product recall management. The company holds R2 RIOS, EPA, and HIPAA certifications, maintains $3 million in liability insurance, and operates a 100% zero-landfill policy for energy-sector streams.

The company's primary technical differentiator is the proprietary EADS (Electronic Airbag Deactivation System) installed at its Wauseon, Ohio R&D facility, developed in partnership with the Ohio EPA and partially financed through an EPA Market Development Grant. The system integrates a feeding and sorting section, an electronic deactivation section, and a particulate capture system, and underpins Cleanlites' self-described position as the largest processor of recalled airbags in the United States. The Wauseon facility is positioned to run around-the-clock and to handle difficult-to-recycle materials.

Commercially, Cleanlites runs a sales-led, quote-based, pay-as-you-go services model. Pricing varies by material type, quantity, and processing requirements and is delivered through toll-free phone sales, online quote forms, and a website order flow, supported by a nationwide transportation fleet. Revenue streams are service-fee and professional-services based across recycling, transportation/logistics, ITAD/data destruction, and product recall management. Leadership consists of President and CEO Tom Kimmel; the company is privately held with no disclosed external funding or M&A activity.

Name

Cleanlites Recycling

Legal name

Cleanlites Recycling

Website

https://cleanlites.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cleanlites Recycling is a Cincinnati-based, privately held specialty waste management company operating six facilities across the Midwest and Southeast, providing certified e-waste, hazardous, ITAD, medical, and automotive airbag recycling services to corporate, government, healthcare, OEM, retail, and other enterprise customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Electronics Dismantling & Pre-processing (Depollution, Sorting, Shredding) (EUAIAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG), E-Waste (WEEE) Collection, Refurbishment & Recycling (IMAIAFAH), Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Electronics recycling services
• Hazardous waste disposal
• IT asset disposition
• Medical waste management
• Airbag recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recycling Services: Service-based recycling fees charged for processing hazardous waste, electronics, universal waste, medical devices, and other specialized materials. Pricing is quote-based depending on material type, quantity, and processing requirements.
2. Transportation and Logistics: The company offers transportation services nationwide to collect and deliver materials to their recycling facilities, which may be bundled with service fees or charged separately.
3. ITAD and Data Destruction: IT Asset Disposition services including secure data destruction, remarketing of functional equipment, and compliance documentation for enterprises and financial institutions.
4. Product Recalls Management: Specialized services for managing product recalls, surplus, and defective products for retailers and manufacturers, including de-manufacturing and proper disposal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cleanlites Recycling provides certified recycling and disposal services for hazardous waste, electronics, IT assets, medical devices, universal waste, lamps, batteries, and automotive airbags. Services include secure data destruction, IT asset disposition (ITAD), product recall management, and nationwide transportation to the company's six recycling facilities. Customers include corporations, government agencies, healthcare providers, OEMs, retailers, and energy and financial institutions requiring compliance-grade, insured recycling with chain-of-custody documentation.

Product overview

Cleanlites Recycling is a waste management company offering a comprehensive portfolio of recycling and disposal services for hazardous, electronic, and universal waste. The company operates across multiple service lines including Aerosol Disposal, Airbag Recycling, Battery Recycling, Electronics Recycling, eWaste Recycling, Hazardous Waste Disposal, IT Asset Disposition (ITAD), Lamp Recycling, LCD/LED Recycling, Mercury Disposal, Medical Device Disposal, PCB Recycling, Product Recalls Management, TV Recycling, and Universal Waste Management. These services are organized into two categories: Core Recycling Services (handling specific waste streams) and Industry-Specific Services (tailored solutions for Automotive, Corporate, Energy, Financial, Government, Healthcare, OEM, Residential, and Retail sectors). The company also offers proprietary technology including the EADS (Electronic Airbag Deactivation System) for airbag recycling. Key operational features include zero-landfill policy, chain of custody tracking, asset tagging, and transportation services. Cleanlites operates multiple recycling facilities across Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, and South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Airbag Recycling Recycling service for automotive airbag devices; Cleanlites is the largest processor of recalled airbags in the U.S. and uses the proprietary EADS (Electronic Airbag Deactivation System) for safe processing.
• Hazardous Waste Disposal Disposal service for numerous hazardous materials, ensuring proper handling and environmental compliance for corporate, government, and industrial customers.
• Electronics Recycling Comprehensive recycling service for electronic waste including desktop computers, laptops, keyboards, cell phones, printers, servers, and other electronics, with nationwide processing.
• eWaste Recycling Electronic waste recycling service addressing the national security crisis of illegal e-waste recycling, including data-harnessing components.
• IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Secure destruction and sanitization of retired IT assets using R2-certified processes, including data erasure, overwrite, degaussing, or physical shredding to prevent data breaches.
• Confidential Data Destruction Secure data destruction service for erasing, overwriting, degaussing, or physical shredding of data-harnessing devices to prevent data breaches, trusted by companies large and small.
• Medical Device Disposal Disposal service for large and small medical devices including X-ray machines, patient data storage devices, and medical equipment, with HIPAA-compliant processes for healthcare providers.
• Product Recalls Management Management service for product recalls, handling defective products not fit for sale or consumer use with cost-effective de-manufacturing and proper disposal for retailers and manufacturers.
• Universal Waste Management Comprehensive universal waste management service for companies nationwide, covering various waste streams from office, municipal, or institutional environments including batteries, lamps, and ballasts.
• Battery Recycling Recycling service for large and small volumes of any battery type, including lithium ion, lead acid, nickel hydride, and nickel cadmium batteries.
• Lamp Recycling Recycling service for all types of lighting including fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, and high-intensity discharge lamps.
• Mercury Disposal Affordable mercury disposal service nationwide for mercury-containing items such as thermometers, fluorescent lightbulbs, and electronics.
• Aerosol Disposal Recycling service for large and small volumes of aerosol cans, providing compliant handling of pressurized container waste.
• Ballast Recycling Recycling service for lighting ballasts, processing thousands of units each month.
• Computer Monitor Recycling

Quantifiable outcome

• Divert almost 100% waste from the landfill for energy sector customers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cell Phones for SoldiersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2019Cleanlites partnered with Cell Phones for Soldiers and their client Altice to implement a recycling program that supports military personnel through phone recycling donations.
• Ohio EPAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with Ohio EPA and representatives in the Ohio sustainability community to secure an EPA Market Development Grant for financing the EADS (Electronic Airbag Deactivation System) at the Wauseon facility. Ohio EPA collaboration for developing proprietary airbag recycling technology.
• Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cleanlites is a member of CAER, supporting proposed regulations for electronics recycling that benefit the economy and national security. Active participant in industry advocacy for responsible e-waste management.
• Green UmbrellaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Regional Sustainability Alliance organizing the Midwest Sustainability Summit. Cleanlites has been a supporter and exhibitor for multiple years, participating in discussions on waste reduction and supply chain sustainability.
• Midwest Sustainability SummitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Annual sustainability event organized by Green Umbrella. Cleanlites has been an exhibitor for several years, showcasing business and services alongside other sustainability leaders.
• LampMasterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company LampMaster that works to make recycling easier. Collaborates on recycling programs and initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stericycle: Stericycle is a large-scale regulated waste services company that handles medical waste, hazardous waste, and IT asset disposition. It overlaps directly with Cleanlites' medical-device disposal, hazardous waste, ITAD/data destruction, and corporate recycling verticals, though operating at much greater scale.
• Sims Lifecycle Services: Sims Lifecycle Services operates IT asset disposition and e-waste recycling facilities serving enterprise customers, comparable to Cleanlites' ITAD and electronics recycling lines. Both provide secure data destruction, remarketing, and R2-certified downstream processing.
• Electronic Recyclers International (ERI): ERI is one of the largest e-waste recyclers in North America, focused on electronics recycling and ITAD for enterprise, government, and retail customers. Directly comparable to Cleanlites' electronics recycling, ITAD, data destruction, and consumer take-back programs.
• Cascade Asset Management: Cascade Asset Management provides IT asset disposition including data destruction, electronics recycling, and remarketing services to enterprise clients, with a focus on regulatory compliance. Overlaps with Cleanlites' ITAD, data destruction, and corporate recycling offerings.
• Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the largest North American provider of hazardous waste management and environmental services, covering collection, treatment, and disposal. Operates in the same hazardous and industrial waste verticals as Cleanlites' hazardous waste disposal, PCB, mercury, and battery recycling services.
• Heritage Environmental Services: Heritage Environmental Services provides hazardous waste management, treatment, and disposal services for industrial customers. Comparable to Cleanlites' hazardous waste disposal, universal waste management, and OEM/industrial vertical services.
• Sadoff E-Recycling & Shredding: Sadoff offers e-waste recycling, IT asset disposition, and secure data destruction with multiple Midwest locations. Direct Midwest regional overlap with Cleanlites and direct competition in ITAD and electronics recycling services.
• Heritage Crystal Clean: Heritage Crystal Clean provides hazardous and non-hazardous waste management, containerized waste services, and used oil collection. Overlaps with Cleanlites' hazardous waste, universal waste, and automotive service verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: Republic Services is one of the largest U.S. non-hazardous solid waste management companies, with recycling and special waste service lines. It is a broad incumbent in the same waste management industry, though not a focused specialist in Cleanlites' universal/hazardous e-waste niche.
• Veolia North America: Veolia operates across hazardous waste, environmental services, and recycling in North America as part of the global Veolia group. Overlaps with Cleanlites' hazardous waste, e-waste, and industrial recycling service lines as a broad portfolio incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cleanlitesusa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw1ns720AsVmREJCp84yC4w
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cleanlites
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleanlites
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cleanlites

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cleanlites Recycling