What Eco-Cycle does

Eco-Cycle is a Boulder, Colorado–based nonprofit organization founded in 1976 that operates Zero Waste infrastructure and education programs for residents, schools, businesses, farmers, and municipalities. It runs two flagship physical assets — the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM), the first facility of its kind in the U.S. opened in 2001 with the City of Boulder, and the publicly owned Boulder County Recycling Center, which Eco-Cycle has operated since 2001 under a municipal contract. Complementary programs include the annual Eco-Cycle Guide, school Zero Waste curricula, a Farmers First composting and carbon-farming initiative, plastics reduction advocacy, and the statewide Zero Waste Colorado effort that extends consulting and policy campaigns beyond Boulder County.

The organization's underlying platform is community-driven rather than technology-driven: a large volunteer Eco-Leader network distributes educational materials and supports curbside and drop-off recycling, while flagship digital tools (the A-Z Recycling Guide, Recycling Sorting Game, and Reuse Hub) drive engagement at the consumer end. Eco-Cycle also leads the Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR), an industry coalition that produces research and policy advocacy resources.

Revenue mechanics mix three streams: (1) service and managed-services fees from CHaRM and Zero Waste hauling/consulting contracts; (2) a multi-decade municipal contract operating the Boulder County Recycling Center; and (3) donations and fundraising underwriting mission-based programs. Go-to-market is community-led — volunteer networks, school programs, and municipal consulting — augmented by content marketing through resource libraries, the annual Eco-Cycle Guide, and email/newsletter channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Eco-Cycle

Legal name

Eco-Cycle

Website

https://ecocycle.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Eco-Cycle is a Boulder, Colorado–based nonprofit founded in 1976 that provides Zero Waste recycling, composting, and education services to residents, schools, businesses, farmers, and municipalities through facilities like CHaRM and the Boulder County Recycling Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling and Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise) (BPALAEAF), Eco-Friendly Disposal, Recycling & Donation Hauling (HSAIAOAJ), Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

Keywords

• Recycling services
• Zero waste consulting
• Composting programs
• Hard-to-recycle materials
• Municipal waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Service Fees: Fees charged for services at the CHaRM facility for hard-to-recycle materials, as well as Zero Waste hauling and consulting services to municipalities and businesses.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Nonprofit organization relying on donations from individuals and organizations to support mission-based recycling programs and community education.
3. Municipal Contracts: Operating the publicly-owned Boulder County Recycling Center under contract with Boulder County since 2001.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Eco-Cycle is a nonprofit recycler and Zero Waste service provider that operates the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) facility, co-manages the Boulder County Recycling Center for single-stream recyclables, and offers Zero Waste hauling, consulting, and educational programming. The organization also runs composting and carbon farming initiatives, advocacy programs such as the Reducing Plastics campaign, and statewide coalition efforts through Zero Waste Colorado.

Product overview

Eco-Cycle is a nonprofit organization providing Zero Waste solutions through a portfolio of physical facilities, educational programs, and digital resources. Core offerings include the Boulder County Recycling Center (BCRC) and CHaRM facility for hard-to-recycle materials, complemented by the flagship Eco-Cycle Guide publication. Programs span composting and carbon farming, plastics reduction, and statewide Zero Waste initiatives. Educational tools include the Recycling Sorting Game, A-Z Recycling Guide, and Reuse Hub. Services encompass Zero Waste hauling, consulting, and event services. The organization operates as a social enterprise model rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eco-Cycle Guide: Flagship annual publication featuring recycling and composting guidelines for Boulder County, local Zero Waste news, and resources.
• CHaRM
• Boulder County Recycling Center
• Farmers First
• Eco-Leader Volunteer Network

Products and services

• CHaRM (Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials) Fee-based drop-off facility that accepts hard-to-recycle materials that are not handled through curbside single-stream recycling, providing Boulder County residents and businesses a place to divert items from landfill.
• Boulder County Recycling Center Co-managed by Eco-Cycle with Boulder County, this facility provides free single-stream drop-off for recyclables for Boulder County residents and operates the curbside collection program.
• Zero Waste Hauling & Consulting Paid hauling and consulting services for businesses, events, and municipalities to implement Zero Waste systems, commercial recycling, and event waste diversion.
• Composting and Carbon Farming Program Program that diverts organic material from landfill and produces Microbe Brew Compost Tea for use by local farmers and agricultural operations to build soil health and sequester carbon.
• Eco-Quote Recycling Education Program School-based recycling and Zero Waste education program for K-12 students, including classroom and assembly presentations delivered to schools and districts.
• Recycling Sorting Game Interactive digital tool that helps users practice sorting recyclables, hard-to-recycle items, compost, and landfill waste into the correct stream.

Quantifiable outcome

• Colorado aims to double its recycling rate by 2030 through new Producer Responsibility legislation

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, moderate and core.

• Resource CentralminorOthersNeighboring nonprofit organization co-located at the CHaRM facility site. Both organizations share the same physical location at 6400 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder.
• City of BouldermoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Boulder partnered with Eco-Cycle in 2001 to open the Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM), the first facility of its kind in the nation. City provides financial support via trash tax dollars for printing the Eco-Cycle Guide.
• Boulder CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEco-Cycle has organized ballot campaigns and operates the Boulder County Recycling Center, publicly-owned and opened in 2001, funded by a resident-approved tax. Long-standing municipal partnership for recycling infrastructure.
• Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling (AMBR)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEco-Cycle leads AMBR, an alliance of mission-based recyclers. AMBR produces research and advocacy resources including Chemical Recycling reports and other industry analysis.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Casella Waste Systems: Northeast-focused waste and recycling company operating MRFs and providing residential/commercial collection, resource management, and organics recycling. Comparable in operating model and mission emphasis on recycling over disposal, though geographically non-overlapping with Boulder.
• GreenWaste Recovery: California-based recycling and solid waste company with strong organics/composting operations and emphasis on Zero Waste diversion. Operates MRFs and organics processing facilities in a regulatory environment comparable to Colorado's Producer Responsibility framework.

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: Major U.S. solid waste and recycling company providing residential and commercial collection, recycling processing, and disposal. A direct competitor on commercial hauling and recycling collection contracts where Eco-Cycle's Zero Waste Hauling bids against incumbents.
• Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American waste services company operating landfills, transfer stations, recycling facilities, and hauling fleets. Overlaps Eco-Cycle across residential recycling collection (curbside), commercial hauling, and MRF operations, but at vastly greater scale and as part of a vertically integrated portfolio.

Direct peers

• TerraCycle: Specializes in collecting and recycling hard-to-recycle materials (the niche served by Eco-Cycle's CHaRM facility), operating national programs for difficult waste streams that most MRFs reject — directly paralleling CHaRM's first-in-the-nation concept.
• Recology: Employee-owned mission-driven recycling and Zero Waste company operating primarily in California, with a similar nonprofit-style philosophy, residential and commercial collection, MRF operations, and community education programs that closely mirror Eco-Cycle's model.
• Cascade Alliance (Cascadia Consulting Group): Mission-driven consulting firm working with municipalities and regional governments on Zero Waste planning, recycling program design, and Producer Responsibility policy — directly comparable to Eco-Cycle's municipal consulting arm and its work shaping Colorado's Producer Responsibility law.

Others

• US Composting Council: National nonprofit industry association advancing composting infrastructure, standards, and policy. Comparable to the advocacy and standards-setting function Eco-Cycle performs in Colorado, particularly around Farmers First compost and carbon-farming programs.
• Closed Loop Partners: Circular economy-focused investment firm and platform builder that funds and develops recycling infrastructure, composting, and packaging reuse. Adjacent to Eco-Cycle's mission as a funder and thought partner in the same Zero Waste ecosystem.
• Resource Central: Boulder, Colorado-based nonprofit focused on conservation programs (water, energy, garden waste), co-located at Eco-Cycle's CHaRM site at 6400 Arapahoe Rd. A direct local ecosystem partner addressing adjacent resource-conservation verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecocycle
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecocycle.zerowaste

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Eco-Cycle