Recycling Works
Recycling Works is a 501(c)3 nonprofit in Missoula, Montana, offering curbside glass, multi-stream, and compost recycling plus community drop-off events. It serves Missoula-area residents and businesses and routes glass through a local transfer station to Momentum Recycling.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersMissoula, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Recycling Works does
Recycling Works Inc is a 501(c)3 nonprofit curbside recycling operator headquartered in Missoula, Montana, operating under the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative (MIC) parent organization. The company was acquired and relaunched by MIC in 2018 from the predecessor Intergenerational Equity Recycling, which was founded in 2010. Recycling Works provides residential and commercial curbside pickup for glass, multi-stream recyclables (paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic), and compost within Missoula, supplemented by quarterly community glass drop-off events in Missoula, Hamilton, and Seeley Lake, plus seven free aluminum can drop-off sheds across Missoula and Lolo.
The operational backbone is a glass transfer station at Garden City Compost, where Recycling Works crushes and bags collected glass before shipping it on backhaul trucks to Momentum Recycling in Salt Lake City for final processing into new bottles and fiberglass insulation. The company is also the official glass recycler of Glacier National Park (since 2021). Since 2018, it has recycled nearly 4 million pounds of glass and donated $104,645 to local public education and housing programs through its GiveBack grant program, which awards $1,000 grants to K-12 public schools.
The business model is primarily subscription-based curbside collection billed quarterly, with a small base of approximately 1,400 curbside glass recyclers and 1,000 drop-off event participants. Ancillary revenue comes from $0.50 per extra gallon charges beyond scheduled pickup, bin replacement fees, and commercial accounts. The 4-person team (Executive Director, Operations Manager, Driver, Project Manager) services a single-market Western Montana geography, and the company is not technology- or AI-driven beyond a basic customer account portal.
Recycling Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Recycling Works
- Legal name
- Recycling Works Inc
- Website
- https://recyclingworksmt.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Recycling Works is a 501(c)3 nonprofit in Missoula, Montana, offering curbside glass, multi-stream, and compost recycling plus community drop-off events. It serves Missoula-area residents and businesses and routes glass through a local transfer station to Momentum Recycling.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Recycling Works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Curbside Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recycling Transfer & Consolidation (Single-Stream, Dual-Stream, Source-Separated) (EUAIABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated) (BPABALAB)
Keywords
Where Recycling Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Missoula
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Recycling Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Curbside recycling subscription services: Recurring subscription fees for curbside glass, multi-stream recycling, and compost pickup services. Quarterly invoicing model with billing on Feb 1, May 1, Aug 1, and Nov 1. Payment accepted via credit card, ACH, or check.
- Aluminum can drop-off: Free aluminum can drop-off service at 7 locations across Missoula and Lolo. Proceeds from aluminum recycling fund community education programs.
- Glass drop-off events: Quarterly community glass drop-off events in Missoula, Hamilton, and Seeley Lake. Free participation with proceeds supporting local education.
- Extra glass collection fees: Additional charges of $0.50 per extra gallon for glass beyond the scheduled pickup amount.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Quarterly | Standard curbside recycling service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Recycling Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Recycling Works provides curbside recycling and compost pickup services for residential and commercial customers in the Missoula, Montana area, covering glass, multi-stream materials (paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic), and compost. The company complements these subscription services with quarterly community glass drop-off events across Missoula, Hamilton, and Seeley Lake, and seven free aluminum can drop-off sheds, processing collected glass at a local transfer station before shipping it to Momentum Recycling for final processing.
Product overview
Recycling Works is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering curbside recycling services in Missoula, Montana, including three main service offerings: curbside glass recycling, curbside multi-stream recycling (paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic), and curbside compost service. For residents who prefer not to use curbside pickup, the company operates quarterly glass drop-off events in Missoula, Hamilton, and Seeley Lake, as well as seven aluminum can drop-off sheds across the region. All proceeds from these recycling services support local public education through the GiveBack Grant program, which awards $1,000 grants to K-12 public school programs. The company also serves as the official glass recycler of Glacier National Park and processes glass at their transfer station in partnership with Momentum Recycling in Salt Lake City.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Curbside Glass Recycling Monthly curbside pickup service for glass recycling in Missoula, Montana; recyclables are collected in provided bins and processed locally at the Recycling Works transfer station before being shipped to Momentum Recycling in Salt Lake City.
- Curbside Multi-Stream Recycling Curbside pickup service for mixed recyclables including paper, cardboard, metal cans, and plastic, available in most glass recycling zones.
- Curbside Compost Service Weekly curbside compost pickup service, with compost collected every Monday from residential customers in Missoula.
- Commercial Curbside Glass Recycling
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 4 million pounds of glass recycled since 2018
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Recycling Works
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Recycling Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Recycling Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Missoula Interfaith Collaborative (MIC)coreMIC stepped in when founder Martin NoRunner was ready to hand off Intergenerational Equity Recycling and relaunched the organization as Recycling Works in 2018. MIC is the parent organization that oversees and supports Recycling Works.
- Momentum RecyclingcoreGlass collected and crushed at Recycling Works' transfer station is shipped to Momentum Recycling in Salt Lake City on backhaul trucks. Momentum further processes and sorts the glass for use in manufacturing new glass bottles and fiberglass insulation.
- Garden City CompostcoreHosts Recycling Works' glass transfer station where glass is first crushed and bagged before being shipped to Momentum Recycling.
- Ink Realty GroupminorLead sponsor of Recycling Works, sponsoring events including Nonprofit Night at PaddleHeads games.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Recycling Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Eco-Cycle: Boulder, Colorado-based nonprofit recycling organization operating one of the oldest curbside recycling programs in the U.S. Highly comparable to Recycling Works as a mission-driven nonprofit providing curbside collection, drop-off, and Zero Waste advocacy in a defined regional market.
- Momentum Recycling: Utah-based glass recycling processor that converts post-consumer glass into cullet for bottles and fiberglass insulation. Directly comparable as Recycling Works' downstream processing partner and a fellow glass-recycling specialist in the Mountain West.
Emerging players
- TerraCycle: Specialty recycling company that operates national programs for hard-to-recycle materials (including glass) via partnerships with brands and municipalities. Comparable as a mission-driven recycler extending services beyond curbside streams into community impact.
Broad incumbents
- Casella Waste Systems: Northeast- and Mid-Atlantic-focused solid waste, recycling, and resource-management operator with curbside recycling programs. Comparable as a regional incumbent with integrated recycling, organics, and disposal capabilities.
- Republic Services: One of the largest U.S. non-hazardous solid waste management companies, operating curbside recycling, composting, and material recovery across the country. A broad incumbent whose entry into Missoula-area recycling would directly threaten Recycling Works' subscriber base.
- Waste Management Inc. North America's largest waste services provider with residential curbside recycling and organics collection across dozens of markets. Represents a major incumbent competitive threat to small regional recyclers like Recycling Works.
Others
- Glass Packaging Institute: North American trade association advocating for glass recycling and supporting glass-recovery infrastructure. Ecosystem peer whose policy and end-market development directly affects Recycling Works' downstream processor Momentum Recycling.
- Missoula Interfaith Collaborative: Parent nonprofit organization of Recycling Works that acquired and relaunched the operation in 2018. Not a competitor but a governance peer whose interfaith-funder model is structurally similar to faith-based community recyclers across the U.S.
Regional players
- GreenWaste Recovery: California-based full-service recycling and waste hauler with curbside collection, materials recovery, and yard trimmings/compost operations. Comparable regional player with multi-stream curbside and organics capabilities.
- Recology: Employee-owned West Coast hauler operating integrated collection, recycling, and composting services in California, Oregon, and Washington. Comparable mission-aligned ownership model (employee-owned, similar to Recycling Works' nonprofit ethos) and operating in similar recycling/compost services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Recycling Works social profiles
Digital presenceRecycling Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Recycling Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Recycling Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Recycling Works 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 Recycling Works
What does Recycling Works do?
Recycling Works provides curbside recycling and compost pickup services for residential and commercial customers in the Missoula, Montana area, covering glass, multi-stream materials (paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic), and compost. The company complements these subscription services with quarterly community glass drop-off events across Missoula, Hamilton, and Seeley Lake, and seven free aluminum can drop-off sheds, processing collected glass at a local transfer station before shipping it to Momentum Recycling for final processing.
When was Recycling Works founded?
Recycling Works was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Recycling Works based?
Recycling Works is headquartered in Missoula, United States, in the North America region.
How does Recycling Works make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Curbside recycling subscription services are the primary driver. The others are aluminum can drop-off, glass drop-off events and extra glass collection fees.
Who are Recycling Works's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Eco-Cycle and Momentum Recycling. TerraCycle is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Casella Waste Systems, Republic Services and Waste Management Inc.. Others are Glass Packaging Institute and Missoula Interfaith Collaborative. Regional players are GreenWaste Recovery and Recology.
Does Recycling Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for Recycling Works.
What industry is Recycling Works in?
Recycling Works's product category is Curbside Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIABAC, Recycling Transfer & Consolidation (Single-Stream, Dual-Stream, Source-Separated), with a secondary code of BPABALAB, On-site Recycling Programs (Single-Stream, Source-Separated). Its NAICS code is 56211 and its SIC code is 4953.