Recycling Partners Of Jamaica

What Recycling Partners Of Jamaica does

Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) is a non-profit Extended Producers Organization (EPO) founded in 2014 as a joint venture between the Government of Jamaica and eight leading beverage manufacturers — Wisynco Group, Pepsi Cola Jamaica, Grace Foods & Services, Lasco Manufacturing, Coldfield Manufacturers, Seprod, SMJaleel, and LifeSpan Limited. The company operates a nationwide plastic bottle recovery infrastructure spanning 7–13 parishes, consisting of 7 collection depots, 2 redemption centres, 555+ drop-off cages, and a truck fleet for vendor pick-ups. RPJ's core activity is the collection, sorting, baling, and export of PET Type #1 and HDPE Type #2 plastic bottles, with downstream export to commodity buyers in Asia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America.

Operationally, RPJ administers a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that pays vendors $50 per kilogram for collected bottles — disbursed via LASCO MoneyGram and bank transfer — and runs a Schools' Recycling Programme with 441+ participating institutions. The company serves a distributed base of 4,068+ individual vendors, schools, businesses, communities, and (as of 2025) tourism-sector partners. Technology consists of physical sorting and baling equipment, a fleet routing operation, and a basic web-based vendor registration and location-finder portal; there is no disclosed AI/ML capability.

Name

Recycling Partners Of Jamaica

Legal name

Recycling Partners of Jamaica

Website

https://recyclingja.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Recycling Partners of Jamaica is a non-profit Extended Producers Organization, jointly owned by the Government of Jamaica and eight beverage manufacturers, that collects, sorts, bales, and exports PET and HDPE plastic bottles through a national network of depots, redemption centres, and a Deposit Return Scheme serving 4,000+ vendors and 440+ schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA), Reusable Packaging & Refill Systems (Returnable Transport Items, Deposit/DRS Ops) (EUAIANAE), Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF), Recycling Transfer & Consolidation (Single-Stream, Dual-Stream, Source-Separated) (EUAIABAC)

Keywords

• Plastic bottle recycling
• Deposit return scheme
• Extended producer responsibility
• Plastic waste collection
• Beverage container recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Jamaica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Funding: RPJ is funded through joint venture contributions from the Government of Jamaica and leading beverage manufacturers (Wisynco, Pepsi, Grace Foods, Lasco, Coldfield, Seprod, SMJaleel, LifeSpan). As Jamaica's premier Extended Producers Organization (EPO), the company administers the Deposit Return Scheme funded by its founding partners.
2. Deposit Return Scheme Administration: RPJ collects plastic bottles through its network and pays $50 per kilogram to registered vendors. The scheme is funded by the beverage manufacturers who contribute based on plastic bottles sold into the market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Recycling Partners of Jamaica operates a nationwide plastic bottle recovery system, collecting PET Type #1 and HDPE Type #2 bottles through 7 depots, 2 redemption centres, and 555+ drop-off cages across 13 parishes. The organization administers Jamaica's Deposit Return Scheme, paying registered vendors $50 per kilogram for collected bottles, with payments processed through LASCO MoneyGram and bank transfers. Sorted and baled plastics are exported to international markets in Asia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America.

Product overview

Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) operates as Jamaica's premier Extended Producers Organization (EPO), offering a unified plastic bottle recycling service rather than a software platform. The core offering consists of plastic bottle collection services nationwide through a network of 9 recycling depots and 2 redemption centers across 7 parishes, combined with a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that financially incentivizes recycling. Supporting programmes include the Schools' Recycling Programme, which engages educational institutions in recycling activities. The vendor registration and payment system facilitates individual and organizational participation in the DRS. All services are delivered through physical infrastructure (collection points, trucks, processing facilities) rather than a digital product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastic Bottle Collection Services Nationwide collection of PET Type #1 and HDPE Type #2 plastic bottles through a network of depots, redemption centres, and 555+ drop-off cages across 13 parishes in Jamaica, facilitating the recovery of plastic bottles from the environment.
• Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Financial incentive programme paying registered vendors $50 per kilogram (approximately $22 per pound) for collected plastic bottles. Payments are processed through LASCO MoneyGram for vendors and bank transfer for schools, businesses, and churches, with a minimum threshold of 150 lbs (68 kg).
• Schools' Recycling Programme Educational initiative registering schools to earn funds through the DRS while providing collection bins, educational materials, and recycling training to cultivate environmental stewardship among Jamaican students. Currently 441+ schools are registered.
• Vendor Registration and Payment System Registration system enabling vendors and individuals to obtain unique vendor IDs, submit plastic bottles for payment, with goods received notes, weight verification, and payment disbursement through LASCO MoneyGram outlets and bank transfers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39% recovery rate achieved in 2024 (385.5 million bottles)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2025Second-phase MOU signed August 28, 2025 to expand recycling in Jamaica's tourism sector. Partnership aims to implement recycling systems in tourism-related businesses.
• Lifespan Water CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2024MOU signed November 8, 2024 for construction of a Plastics Redemption Centre in Portland. Lifespan donated a quarter-acre of land for the facility. Groundbreaking ceremony held.
• The Government of JamaicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding joint venture partner with The Government of Jamaica establishing RPJ as Jamaica's premier Extended Producers Organization (EPO) in 2014.
• Wisynco Group LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage manufacturer partner and joint venture investor. Wisynco's Deputy CEO Sean Scott serves on the RPJ Board of Directors.
• Pepsi Cola Jamaica Bottling LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage manufacturer partner. Pepsi representatives Anecia Levy and Bianca Fakhourie serve on the RPJ Board of Directors.
• Grace Foods & Services LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage/food manufacturer partner. GraceKennedy Foundation CEO Caroline Mahfood serves on the RPJ Board of Directors.
• Lasco Manufacturing LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage manufacturer partner. Lasco's Executive Chairman James E.D. Rawle serves on the RPJ Board of Directors. Lasco MoneyGram platform used for vendor payments.
• Coldfield Manufacturers LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage manufacturer partner in the joint venture establishing RPJ.
• Seprod LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage/food manufacturer partner in the joint venture establishing RPJ.
• SMJaleel LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage/food manufacturer partner in the joint venture establishing RPJ.
• LifeSpan LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Founding beverage manufacturer partner in the joint venture establishing RPJ.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Recycle BC: British Columbia's extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme for residential packaging and paper. Comparable as a producer-funded non-profit stewarding packaging recovery on behalf of brand owners under a regulated framework.
• RetuRO Sistem Garanție Returnare: Romania's national DRS administrator launched in 2023 for PET, glass, and aluminium. Directly comparable as a recently-launched national DRS scheme administrator with producer-backed funding.
• Infinitum AS: Norway's national DRS operator managing return of PET bottles and aluminium beverage cans. Comparable as a not-for-profit/scheme administrator running collection infrastructure on behalf of beverage producers, similar to RPJ's EPO role.
• Re-turn: Ireland's national Deposit Return Scheme operator for PET bottles and aluminium cans. Re-run is the closest international analogue to RPJ, operating a country-level DRS backed by producer fees with nationwide return points.

Emerging players

• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that collects plastic in coastal communities and exchanges it for income, operating across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Comparable as a collection-network-driven social enterprise monetising recovered plastic through community participation.

Broad incumbents

• Evergreen (by Minderoo Foundation): Australia's industry-led, government-supported scheme for beverage container recovery (PET, aluminium, glass, liquid paperboard). Comparable as a large-scale national DRS/EPO operator with producer funding and nationwide depot/return network.
• TOMRA Collection Solutions: Global leader in reverse vending machines (RVMs) and material recovery, supplying the hardware behind many national DRS programmes including Norway, Germany, and Ireland. Comparable as a key infrastructure provider in the DRS ecosystem that RPJ participates in.
• Waste Management Caribbean: Major Caribbean solid waste and recycling services provider across multiple islands, including Jamaica. Comparable as a regional waste-management peer operating in overlapping geographies, though broader in scope than RPJ's DRS specialization.

Others

• Reloop Platform: Global NGO coalition advocating for well-designed DRS and EPR policies worldwide. Comparable as a thematic/ecosystem player influencing the regulatory and operational frameworks that schemes like RPJ operate within.
• Closed Loop Partners: US-based investment firm and accelerator funding circular economy infrastructure, including bottle-to-bottle recycling and DRS enablement. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for DRS/circular-economy operators at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/recyclingja?lang=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/RecyclingJA
• Instagraminstagram.com/recyclingja
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recycling-ja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Recycling Partners Of Jamaica