Ciclo

What Ciclo does

Ciclo, doing business as CICLO – Sustentável, is a Brazilian recycling platform headquartered in Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul. Founded in 2019, the company operates a community-led model in which individual consumers bring recyclable household waste to physical drop-off units located inside partner supermarkets and shopping centers and receive monetary compensation based on the weight and type of materials processed.

The core product is the CICLO mobile app, available on Google Play and Apple App Store, which provides a digital wallet (Cofrinho da Reciclagem) that tracks user deliveries, accumulates balances, and enables withdrawals via PIX starting at R$2.00. The platform is augmented by CICLO Educa, an educational module that teaches proper disposal practices, and CICLO Social, which allows users to redirect recycling earnings to charitable partners such as APAE Cachoeirinha, GRAVE Resgate Voluntário, Rotary Club Industrial Cachoeirinha, and Amigas do Peito. Visible collection units are concentrated in Rio Grande do Sul, including Supermercado Gomes in Santo Antônio da Patrulha, Max Center Alvorada, and Shopping Total in Porto Alegre.

Ciclo monetizes through the spread between compensation paid to users and the value realized from processed recyclable materials (a transaction/take-rate model). The company is privately held, with no disclosed institutional funding, no public revenue figures, and no international footprint. Marketing relies on physical partner-venue presence, app store distribution, and the social/community engagement layer.

Name

Ciclo

Legal name

Ciclo

Website

https://ciclo.eco

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ciclo is a Brazilian community-led recycling platform that operates physical drop-off units inside partner supermarkets and shopping centers in Rio Grande do Sul, paying individual consumers via PIX for recyclable materials through its mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling and Waste Management Services

NAICS

Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary Materials Brokerage & Trading (Recovered Commodities) (BPALADAJ)

Keywords

• Recyclable waste collection
• Recycling reward program
• Mobile recycling app
• Waste valorization services
• Sustainable waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Cachoeirinha

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recyclable Material Processing: Users deliver recyclable materials to CICLO units and receive monetary compensation based on the weight and type of materials. The value is credited to their digital piggy bank account and can be withdrawn via PIX transfer starting at R$2.00.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ciclo operates physical recycling collection units at partner supermarkets and shopping centers in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where consumers deliver household recyclable materials and receive monetary compensation. The CICLO mobile app provides users with a digital wallet ("Cofrinho da Reciclagem") that accumulates balances per delivery, with PIX-based cash withdrawal starting at R$2.00, plus an environmental impact dashboard (Evolução Sustentável).

Product overview

Ciclo is a sustainable recycling platform that connects users with physical collection units where they can exchange recyclable waste for cash. The core product is the CICLO App (available on Google Play and Apple Store), which enables users to create profiles, track their sustainable evolution, manage their recycling piggy bank balance, and transfer funds via PIX. The platform includes CICLO Educa (educational content on proper waste disposal) and CICLO Social (a charitable donation feature supporting entities like APAE and GRAVE). Physical collection units are established at partner locations including supermarkets and shopping centers across Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CICLO App Mobile application available on Google Play and Apple App Store that lets individual consumers create a profile, manage recyclable waste deliveries, track their Evolução Sustentável dashboard, monitor their Cofrinho da Reciclagem balance, and withdraw funds via PIX from R$2.00.
• Unidades de Atendimento (Collection Units) Physical drop-off and payment service located inside partner supermarkets and shopping centers in Rio Grande do Sul (e.g., Supermercado Gomes in Santo Antônio da Patrulha, Max Center Alvorada, Shopping Total in Porto Alegre) where users deliver recyclable materials and receive monetary compensation credited to their digital piggy bank.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Amigas do PeitominorOthers · 7 November 2024Social charity partner receiving donations from CICLO users through the CICLO Social program.
• Shopping TotalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 June 2023CICLO operates a drop-off unit at Shopping Total in Porto Alegre, RS. Unit open Monday to Saturday with standard operating hours.
• Supermercado GomescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 December 2021CICLO operates a drop-off unit inside Supermercado Gomes in Santo Antônio da Patrulha, RS. Users can deliver recyclable materials during store operating hours and receive monetary compensation.
• APAE – Cachoeirinha/RSminorOthers · 12 July 2021Social charity partner receiving donations from CICLO users through the CICLO Social program. APAE is an NGO providing social assistance services for over 40 years in Cachoeirinha.
• Rotary Club Industrial CachoeirinhaminorOthers · 12 July 2021Social charity partner receiving donations from CICLO users. Rotary Club is part of Rotary International, a service association focused on humanitarian service and promoting ethical values.
• GRAVE – Resgate VoluntáriominorOthers · 5 July 2021Social charity partner receiving donations from CICLO users. GRAVE is a voluntary emergency rescue organization founded in 2010, operating with over 150 active volunteers and 2 equipped ambulances.
• Max Center AlvoradacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 October 2020CICLO operates a drop-off unit inside Max Center shopping mall in Alvorada, RS. Users deliver recyclables and receive compensation credited to their digital account.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Trashcoin: Mobile app that rewards users with cryptocurrency or cash for recycling at partner locations. Closely comparable to Ciclo's app + drop-off + cash reward model, though uses crypto payouts instead of PIX and operates in different geographies.
• RecycleGO: Recycling rewards and traceability platform that incentivizes consumer recycling behavior and tracks material flows. Comparable to Ciclo's consumer-incentive approach with app-based engagement, though operating primarily in North America rather than Brazil.
• Loop: Technology platform providing recycling and waste management software for material recovery facilities. Comparable to Ciclo in applying software to the recyclables value chain, though positioned as B2B SaaS for MRFs rather than a consumer-facing app.

Broad incumbents

• Rubicon Technologies: US-based waste and recycling technology platform connecting haulers, municipalities, and material recovery facilities. Comparable to Ciclo in digitizing the recyclables value chain and operating as a marketplace intermediary, though focused on commercial/municipal waste rather than consumer drop-offs.
• TerraCycle: Global leader in consumer recycling solutions, including brand-sponsored recycling programs and difficult-to-recycle waste streams. Comparable to Ciclo as a consumer-facing recycling platform that monetizes materials recovery, though operating at vastly greater scale and with a B2B sponsor model rather than direct user payouts.

Direct peers

• Eneza: Brazilian recycling technology platform focused on connecting consumers and businesses to recycling infrastructure. Comparable to Ciclo as a Brazilian peer operating a digital recycling platform, though Eneza leans more on B2B reverse-logistics than consumer cash incentives.
• Eureciclo: Brazilian reverse-logistics and recycling certificate company that helps brands and retailers offset packaging via certified recycling credits. Comparable to Ciclo in operating within Brazil's recycling ecosystem and monetizing materials recovery, though the model centers on corporate certificate sales rather than consumer payouts.

Regional players

• Lixo Zero: Brazilian waste management and recycling services company operating collection infrastructure for households and businesses. Comparable to Ciclo as a Brazilian recycling services provider, though more focused on commercial collection routes than consumer drop-off points.
• Coleta Solidária: Brazilian app-based recycling platform connecting households to recycling cooperatives and collectors. Comparable to Ciclo in digitizing consumer recycling behavior in Brazil, though focused on connecting users to informal collectors rather than physical drop-off units.

Others

• Material Return (MR): Brazilian reverse logistics operator facilitating recycling credit transactions between brands and cooperatives. Comparable to Ciclo's role in Brazil's recycling ecosystem, though positioned as a corporate compliance partner rather than a direct-to-consumer platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atitudeciclo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ciclo