Recycle1st
Recycle 1st is a Cape Town-based, privately held company providing scheduled door-to-door recycling collection for residential homes, complexes, and small-to-medium businesses, plus on-site waste management and e-waste pop-ups across greater Cape Town.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Recycle1st does
Recycle 1st (Recycle1st) is a Cape Town-based, privately held doorstep recycling collection company founded in 2009 by Anthea Fransman (née Hartzenberg) after a 9-year career in banking. The company collects paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, Tetra Pak cartons, and coffee cups from residential homes, residential complexes, and small-to-medium businesses across 25+ Cape Town suburbs organized by day-of-week routes (Monday-Friday), then sorts and delivers materials to recyclers for processing into inputs for South African manufacturing. Its portfolio also includes on-site waste management for corporate clients (waste audits, sorting, monthly reporting, staff training) and free community e-waste pop-up collection events hosted at partner venues such as JG Electronics in Pinelands.
Recycle1st firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Recycle1st
- Legal name
- Recycle 1st
- Website
- https://recycle1st.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Recycle 1st is a Cape Town-based, privately held company providing scheduled door-to-door recycling collection for residential homes, complexes, and small-to-medium businesses, plus on-site waste management and e-waste pop-ups across greater Cape Town.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Recycle1st industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste Management and Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (56211)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Source-Separated Recyclables Collection (Dual/Single-Stream) (EUAIAAAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA), Recycling Transfer & Consolidation (Single-Stream, Dual-Stream, Source-Separated) (EUAIABAC)
Keywords
Where Recycle1st is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Recycle1st business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Residential Recycling Subscriptions: Monthly subscription fees for door-to-door recycling collection from residential homes, with weekly and fortnightly collection options. Prices range from R96.24 to R199/month depending on frequency and location.
- Business Waste Management Services: On-site waste management services for businesses including waste audits, sorting, transportation, monthly reporting, and staff training. Pricing is quote-based (POA).
- Recycling Products Sales: Sale of recycling-related products including wheelie bins (R1,060), office bin box organizers (R65), and clear bag packs (R205).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Weekly residential collections - highest tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | Fortnightly residential collections - mid tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | Obs/Fernwood special collections - entry tier |
| Subscription | Monthly | Complex collections - commercial |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business collections - enterprise |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Black Wheelie Bin |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Office Bin Boxers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pack of 100 clear bags |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Recycle1st product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Recycle1st provides scheduled doorstep recycling collection services for residential homes, businesses, and residential complexes in Cape Town, collecting paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, and Tetra Pak cartons on weekly or fortnightly schedules. The company sorts the collected materials and delivers them to recyclers for processing into inputs for South African manufacturing, and supplements its collection services with on-site waste management for corporate clients, e-waste pop-up events, and the sale of recycling-related products such as wheelie bins and clear bags.
Product overview
Recycle1st is a Cape Town-based recycling collection company offering a portfolio of doorstep recycling services for residential, business, and complex customers, along with e-waste pop-up collection events. The core offering consists of scheduled weekly or fortnightly collection of recyclables (paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, and Tetra Pak cartons) from homes and businesses, with sorting and delivery to recyclers for South African manufacturing. The company supplements its collection services with on-site waste management for businesses, and sells complementary products including wheelie bins, office recycling containers, clear bags, and educational laminated posters. The company also runs seasonal campaigns (advent calendar) and environmental awareness programs (Smart Recycler campaign). Collection coverage spans multiple Cape Town suburbs including CBD, southern suburbs, northern suburbs, and surrounding areas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Recycling Collection Weekly or fortnightly doorstep collection of recyclable materials (paper, plastic, glass, metal, Tetra Pak cartons) from residential homes in Cape Town areas. Sorted and delivered to recyclers for processing into materials for South African manufacturing.
- Business Recycling Collection Recycling collection service for small to medium businesses and commercial complexes. Includes on-site waste management with trained staff, sorting, and regular assessment of waste generation.
- Complex Recycling Collection Recycling collection service for residential complexes and estates. Customized for building requirements with regular scheduled collections and reporting.
- E-waste Pop-up Collection Free community e-waste collection events held at various locations. Accepts any battery or electricity-powered items to ensure proper disposal and divert from landfills.
- On-site Waste Management Dedicated team of trained professionals stationed at business premises to identify, advise, sort, and manage waste disposal. Includes monthly reporting on waste statistics, staff training, and consultations for alternative procurement decisions.
- Black Wheelie Bin 240L black wheelie bin for waste collection. Priced at R1,060 per unit, available on backorder.
- Coloured Wheelie Bins 240L coloured wheelie bins available in blue, yellow, and green options for colour-coded waste separation. Priced at R1,430.00.
- Office Bin Boxers Indoor recycling bins designed for office use. Priced at R65.00 per unit.
- Pack of 100 Clear Bags Pack of 100 clear recycling bags for household or business use. Priced at R205.00 per pack.
- Laminated Recycling Posters Educational laminated recycling posters in various sizes (A4, A3, A2, Digital Download) to help households and businesses understand what can be recycled. Priced from R0.00 to R177.00.
- Coffee Cup Recycling Service Recycling service for disposable coffee cups (Polycups) with plastic lining, processed through partnership with MPACT to a processing plant in Springs, Gauteng.
Companies that use Recycle1st
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Recycle1st technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Recycle1st partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MPACTcoreRecycling processor partner that collects and bales coffee cups (Polycups) from Recycle 1st, then sends materials to processing plant in Springs, Gauteng for recycling. Partnership enables diversion of 460 kg of coffee cups from landfills per month.
- Ecobrick ExchangeminorCollaboration during 10th anniversary beach cleanup event to provide Ecobrick Block Building Demonstration, promoting alternative waste solutions.
- IWMSA (Integrated Waste Management South Africa)minorIndustry association membership demonstrating commitment to waste management industry standards and best practices.
- JG Electronics (Pinelands)minorE-waste collection venue host for community e-waste pop-up events, providing accessible drop-off location for residents to dispose of electronic waste responsibly.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Recycle1st competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Reclam: Cape Town-based recycling collection company running scheduled kerbside and doorstep recyclables collections from homes and businesses; the closest direct subscription-collection peer to Recycle 1st in the same geography.
- Waste Plan: South African waste management and recycling company offering scheduled collection services to residential and commercial customers; competes directly with Recycle 1st in the Western Cape for subscription and on-site recycling collection contracts.
Broad incumbents
- Interwaste: One of South Africa's largest waste management companies with a broad portfolio spanning hazardous, industrial, and commercial waste plus recycling; a much larger incumbent whose recycling collection services overlap with Recycle 1st's SME and corporate book.
- Averda South Africa: Multinational waste management operator with a Cape Town presence offering recycling and integrated waste services to businesses and municipalities; competes for the same enterprise waste management RFPs Recycle 1st targets.
- EnviroServ: Major South African hazardous and general waste management group with recycling and recovery operations; comparable in the corporate on-site waste management and reporting space Recycle 1st targets.
Regional players
- The Glass Recycling Company: South African industry-funded glass recycler that promotes glass collection from households and businesses; serves as a complementary channel that competes for the same glass fraction Recycle 1st collects at the doorstep.
- MyWaste (Waste Integration): South African digital waste management platform connecting households and businesses with collectors, including recycling services; an emerging channel-based competitor that can route customers away from independent operators like Recycle 1st.
Emerging players
- Rubicon Technologies (Spoormaker): US-listed smart waste and recycling technology platform with emerging South African activity; competes indirectly through technology-enabled routing and customer engagement features overlapping with Recycle 1st's mobile app stack.
Others
- PETCO (Polyester Recycling Company): South African PET plastic industry recycling PRO that coordinates post-consumer PET collection and processing; an EPR-driven ecosystem participant relevant to Recycle 1st's plastics collection streams.
- MPACT Recycling: South African paper and packaging recycling division of MPACT that bales and processes recyclables; existing partner to Recycle 1st (coffee cup stream) and adjacent ecosystem participant that also competes for upstream recyclable supply.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Recycle1st social profiles
Digital presenceRecycle1st compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Recycle1st financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Recycle1st leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Recycle1st funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Recycle1st 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 Recycle1st
What does Recycle1st do?
Recycle1st provides scheduled doorstep recycling collection services for residential homes, businesses, and residential complexes in Cape Town, collecting paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, and Tetra Pak cartons on weekly or fortnightly schedules. The company sorts the collected materials and delivers them to recyclers for processing into inputs for South African manufacturing, and supplements its collection services with on-site waste management for corporate clients, e-waste pop-up events, and the sale of recycling-related products such as wheelie bins and clear bags.
Is Recycle1st a public or private company?
Recycle1st is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Recycle1st founded?
Recycle1st was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Recycle1st based?
Recycle1st is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Recycle1st make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Residential Recycling Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are business Waste Management Services and recycling Products Sales.
Who are Recycle1st's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Reclam and Waste Plan. Broad incumbents are Interwaste, Averda South Africa and EnviroServ. Regional players are The Glass Recycling Company and MyWaste (Waste Integration). Rubicon Technologies (Spoormaker) is listed as an emerging player. Others are PETCO (Polyester Recycling Company) and MPACT Recycling.
Does Recycle1st have an API?
No public API is recorded for Recycle1st.
What industry is Recycle1st in?
Recycle1st's product category is Waste Management and Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAAAN, Source-Separated Recyclables Collection (Dual/Single-Stream), with a secondary code of EUAIAIAA, Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs. Its NAICS code is 56211 and its SIC code is 4953.