BottleCycler

What BottleCycler does

BottleCycler (legal entity BottleCycler (Aust) Pty. Ltd., founded 2002, headquartered in Port Melbourne, Victoria) designs, manufactures, and operates on-premise glass bottle crushing machines for the Australian hospitality industry, with a stated customer base of 800+ venues and 27M+ kg of glass recycled cumulatively since inception. The core product is a compact (sub-65cm² footprint) stainless-steel crusher that sits front-of-house behind the bar, crushes up to 80 bottles per minute, reduces original glass volume by up to 80%, and stores up to 300 beer bottles (or 200 wine bottles) in a 60-litre bin; whisper-quiet operation (~coffee-grinder decibels), smart full-bin sensors, and an optional multi-storey chute system distinguish it from generic industrial crushers. The product is wrapped in a full-service glass management platform (fixed-price monthly rental, on-site maintenance, scheduled bin collection, transport to beneficiation plants such as Orora), an online customer portal (app.bottlecycler.com) for service requests and corporate sustainability reporting, and a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) refund advisory service delivered in partnership with global reverse-vending group TOMRA Collection Solutions.

The company makes money primarily through a subscription-based full-service rental model (monthly fixed fee covering machine, set-up, maintenance, and repairs), supplemented by usage-based per-bin collection fees, ad hoc field-service charges via the portal, and short-term event rentals for large venues and one-off events (Australian Open, Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne Cup Carnival, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show). Customer segments span SMB hospitality venues (Plough Inn, Bathers' Pavillion, Grand Hotel Warrandyte) and enterprise multi-venue operators and stadiums (Trippas White Group, The Star Sydney, Marvel Stadium, Flemington Racecourse, St George Leagues, Wentworth Leagues), with a newer push into Commercial & Body Corporates (apartment and office buildings). Go-to-market is direct, phone- and enquiry-driven via the website, supported by a content-led blog, case-study-driven SEO, cleaning/waste contractor channel partnerships (Quayclean, Cirka), and the TOMRA alliance.

Name

BottleCycler

Legal name

BottleCycler (Aust) Pty. Ltd.

Website

https://bottlecycler.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BottleCycler (Australia, est. 2002) manufactures and rents on-premise glass bottle crushing machines to Australian hospitality venues, events, and commercial buildings, delivering full-service glass management, recycling, and Container Deposit Scheme advisory within the TOMRA group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Glass Recycling Equipment

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Deposit Return System (DRS) / Bottle Bill Counting & Processing Centers (BPALADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Returnable & Refillable Glass Packaging (Deposit, Reuse Systems) (IMALAEAF)

Keywords

• Glass bottle crushing
• Hospitality recycling services
• On-site glass management
• Commercial glass recycling equipment
• Container deposit scheme

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Machine rental (monthly recurring fee): BottleCycler operates on a rental model: for a monthly fee, the machine is maintained regularly and repaired on-site if anything goes wrong. Full-service fixed-price operation covers initial set-up, servicing, maintenance, and removal for recycling. This is the primary recurring revenue stream.
2. Per-bin glass collection fee: Depending on the venue's volume and pick-up schedule, a per-bin collection fee is payable on top of the monthly rental. Frequency depends on the quantity of glass crushed and the weekly number of bins filled. The portal also charges $19+GST per bin (minimum 6 bin charge) for ad hoc field technician bin collections and $35+GST delivery fee for additional bins outside metro areas.
3. Event short-term rentals: BottleCycler provides short-term rentals of the machine to cater for large one-off events — both indoor and outdoor — including expos, festivals, weddings, and large-scale events such as the Australian Open and Melbourne Cup Carnival. Recent events served include Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2021, Spring Racing Carnival, Australian Open, and Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BottleCycler designs, manufactures and rents a compact, front-of-house glass bottle crushing machine to Australian hospitality venues, events and commercial buildings. The full-service offering wraps the hardware in a fixed-price monthly rental that includes installation, maintenance, on-site repairs, scheduled glass bin collection, and recycling processing, supported by an online customer portal for service requests and environmental reporting, plus Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) refund advisory in partnership with TOMRA Collection Solutions.

Product overview

BottleCycler offers a single core hardware product — the BottleCycler glass bottle crushing machine — wrapped in a full-service glass management platform rather than a multi-product software suite. The on-premise crusher is the physical workhorse (up to 80 bottles/minute, 80% volume reduction, 60L bin holding ~300 bottles) and is supported by the BottleCycler online portal for service requests and sustainability reporting, a fixed-price full-service offering (rental, maintenance, collection, recycling), and a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) refund advisory service delivered in partnership with TOMRA Collection Solutions. The crusher, the portal, the field-services/recycling layer, and the CDS advisory together form one integrated offering for hospitality venues, events, body corporates and commercial properties in Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BottleCycler glass bottle crushing machine An on-premise, stainless-steel glass bottle crushing machine designed to sit behind the bar. It crushes up to 80 bottles per minute, reduces the original volume of glass by up to 80%, and stores up to 300 beer bottles (or 200 wine bottles) in each 60-litre bin. The unit has a footprint of less than 65cm² and operates at noise levels comparable to a coffee grinder, with smart sensors to indicate when the bin is full. Sold/rented to Australian hospitality venues, events and commercial buildings.
• BottleCycler online customer & reporting portal Web-based portal where BottleCycler account holders schedule maintenance, request services (collections, breakdowns, machine and bin servicing, skip-collection notifications), and access environmental/sustainability reporting covering recycled volume, landfill diverted, and carbon emissions saved. Corporate clients receive monthly or quarterly environmental reports and ready-made marketing/social templates to promote their sustainability metrics.
• BottleCycler full-service glass management & recycling End-to-end managed service wrapping the BottleCycler crushing machine: fixed-price monthly rental of the machine, on-site set-up, scheduled maintenance and breakdown support, glass bin collection (typically weekly, scaled to volume), transport to glass processing/beneficiation plants, and CDS refund advisory. Available to hospitality venues, events, body corporates and commercial properties Australia-wide.
• Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) refund advisory Advisory and integration service that helps venues access state-specific Container Deposit Scheme refunds. In Queensland, BottleCycler's system identifies eligible vs ineligible containers and calculates customer refunds; in NSW, refunds are processed on a weight basis; Victoria's CDS (launched September 2023) is also supported. The service is delivered in partnership with TOMRA Collection Solutions and is underpinned by BottleCycler's position within the TOMRA reverse-vending and recycling network.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core, core and minor.

• TOMRA Collection Solutionsflagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBottleCycler is part of TOMRA Collection Solutions, a global reverse-vending solutions provider that collects, reuses, and recycles cans and bottles. The partnership makes BottleCycler's work possible by integrating it with TOMRA's CDS and recycling infrastructure across multiple Australian states. Joint mission: 'cleaner, smarter recycling solutions for our clients and help them make sustainability part of their business.'
• QuaycleancoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCleaning contractor and operational partner at Marvel Stadium. Quayclean (with Milena Molano as Functions and Events Coordinator and Zac Larmer as contract manager) collaborated with BottleCycler to install 11 machines throughout the venue, enabling 60,000kg of glass recycling in a 12-month period and reducing stadium waste-to-landfill from 98% to 63%.
• CirkacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCleaning and facility services contractor (34+ years experience, AMP's National Contractor of the Year Award winner). Long-standing partner of BottleCycler, contracted to maintain Flemington Racecourse. Together they delivered seamless glass recycling at the 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival, diverting 50,000kg of glass from landfill across four days with 244,000 attendees.
• OroracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian glass packaging and recycling partner. Orora runs a $25M glass beneficiation plant (referenced as BottleCycler's processing partner) and is working toward 60% recycled content in bottles by 2025. Their plant is colour-sorted, processes glass into cullet for new bottles, runs on 100% renewable energy, and is transitioning to oxy-fired furnace technology in 2024. BottleCycler funnels crushed glass directly to Orora to bypass intermediaries.
• Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR)minorOthersBottleCycler is a member of the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR), the national industry body for the recycling sector. Membership is displayed in the website footer and supports alignment with national recycling policy and standards.
• double3 (digital agency)minorOthersCredited as the agency that built the BottleCycler website ('Site by double3'). Provides digital/web services support for the company.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TOMRA Collection Solutions: Global reverse-vending and recycling infrastructure provider that owns BottleCycler. Operates the broader Container Deposit Scheme and materials recovery ecosystem that BottleCycler's CDS advisory service is built on; direct parent and strategic anchor for the company's distribution and processing partnerships.
• Suez (Suez Recycling and Recovery Australia): Global waste management and recycling operator with Australian operations covering commercial and municipal collections. Comparable presence in the Australian waste/recycling value chain that BottleCycler feeds into, though at a much larger, broader-utility scale.
• Cleanaway Waste Management: Australia's largest waste management company, providing commercial waste and recycling collection services. Adjacent incumbent that could vertically integrate or compete with BottleCycler's glass bin collection offering for hospitality customers.

Direct peers

• Expleco: New Zealand-based manufacturer of on-premise glass bottle crushing machines for hospitality venues. Closest direct peer in product category — compact, front-of-house glass crushers sold/rented to bars, restaurants, and events in Australasia.
• Andela Glass Crushers: US manufacturer of glass crushing and recycling equipment for bars, restaurants, and MRFs. Comparable hardware-centric business model with bottle-crushing machines targeted at on-premise and small-volume recycling applications, though typically more industrial/back-of-house.
• Mil-tek: Provider of on-site waste compaction and recycling equipment, including glass bottle crushers, operating on a rental/service model across multiple geographies. Closely comparable GTM (machine-as-a-service for hospitality and commercial customers) and overlapping product category.

Others

• Orora: Australian glass packaging and recycling partner that operates BottleCycler's downstream beneficiation plant. Comparable glass-recycling value-chain participation (bottles → cullet → new bottles) and a strategic processing partner rather than a direct competitor.
• Visy: Australia's largest recycling and packaging company, operating glass recycling and materials recovery infrastructure. Overlaps with BottleCycler in the Australian glass recycling ecosystem but is a downstream MRF/processor rather than an on-site equipment provider.

Regional players

• Re.Group (ResourceCo / Re.Group): Australian resource recovery and recycling company operating MRFs and processing infrastructure, including glass and CDS-adjacent streams. Comparable participation in the Australian recycling value chain that intersects with BottleCycler's downstream cullet routing.
• Glass Recovery Services: Australian specialist glass collection and recycling service for hospitality and event venues. Directly comparable service offering (front-of-house glass collection for bars, restaurants, events) and overlapping Australian customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bottlecycler

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 BottleCycler