Zerowaste.org

What Zerowaste.org does

ZeroWaste.Org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Michigan, headquartered at 820 Granger Ave., Ann Arbor, with a 1–10 person team. It operates a web-based platform that delivers educational resources, community challenges, pledge tracking, and volunteer coordination to individuals and community groups seeking to reduce household and community waste. Its product surface spans the Swap Shop (a catalog of zero waste product substitutions with annual savings calculations), the Plastic Free Challenge (a monthly badge-earning commitment program), a structured library of educational guides (covering food waste, meal planning, grocery shopping, microplastics, and the waste equation), a volunteer program, and a donation platform. The underlying technology is a standard web application with email/password and Google OAuth authentication, a content management system for the blog and guides, and Stripe-based donation processing — no proprietary AI, ML, or data infrastructure is disclosed.

The organization is funded entirely by charitable donations, with no products sold and all programs offered free to participants. Donation channels include one-time and recurring individual gifts, Donor-Advised Fund grants (EIN 82-3030599), IRA charitable distributions, stock and securities transfers, planned/legacy giving, and corporate matching. A named permanent endowment, the Christopher Quentin McMullen-Laird Endowment, provides a supplementary funding stream. The go-to-market motion is community-led: structured challenges and pledges activate participants as change agents, amplified through a research-backed "ripple effect" methodology that influences social networks up to three degrees deep. Distribution is concentrated in Ann Arbor, MI for in-person programming, with online content reach extending to 26 countries based on a 2018 figure of 305 pledges. The leadership team is anchored by co-founder and Executive Director Samuel McMullen, a TEDx speaker and National Zero Waste Forum keynote presenter with prior research experience at NRDC.

Name

Zerowaste.org

Legal name

ZeroWaste.Org

Website

https://zerowaste.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ZeroWaste.Org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that runs a web platform delivering educational guides, the Plastic Free Challenge pledge program, a zero waste Swap Shop, volunteer coordination, and donation processing to help individuals and communities reduce household waste.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit / Waste Reduction Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

Keywords

• Waste reduction education
• Community sustainability programs
• Nonprofit environmental action
• Zero waste lifestyle
• Recycling and composting

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the mission. Processed via Stripe on the website. Tax-deductible as a 501(c)(3).
2. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Grants: Donors recommend grants from their DAFs to ZeroWaste.Org using the organization's EIN (82-3030599).
3. Planned / Legacy Giving: Bequests and provisions in wills or trusts. The Christopher Quentin McMullen-Laird Endowment is a named permanent endowment.
4. Stocks & Securities: Donors can transfer appreciated stock; the organization receives the full market value and avoids capital gains tax for the donor.
5. IRA Charitable Distributions: Tax-free gifts directly from IRAs for donors aged 70½ or older, counting toward required minimum distributions.
6. Corporate Matching: Employer matching gift program; donors are encouraged to check with HR departments using EIN 82-3030599.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ZeroWaste.Org runs a free, donation-funded nonprofit platform that delivers zero-waste education, community challenges, and organizing tools. Core offerings include the Plastic Free Challenge, structured pledges (day/week/month/year commitments), the Swap Shop catalog of waste-reducing product alternatives, an Educational Guides library, and a Volunteer Program for community organizing in Ann Arbor. The organization also accepts charitable contributions via a donation platform that supports one-time, recurring, DAF, IRA, stock, and planned/legacy giving, including the Christopher Quentin McMullen-Laird permanent endowment.

Product overview

ZeroWaste.Org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a digital platform focused on waste reduction education and community action. The organization runs a suite of programs including the Swap Shop for product alternatives, the Plastic Free Challenge for community engagement, an Educational Guides section covering practical waste reduction topics, a Volunteer Program for community organizing, and a Donation Platform for fundraising. The Christopher Quentin McMullen-Laird Endowment provides permanent funding through an ESG-screened investment vehicle. The organization focuses on piloting waste reduction programs in Ann Arbor with plans to expand to additional cities, aiming for 10% reduction in US waste by 2040.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastic Free Challenge
• Swap Shop
• Educational Guides
• Volunteer Program
• Donation Platform
• Christopher Quentin McMullen-Laird Endowment

Quantifiable outcome

• The organization reports participation across 26 countries and hundreds of pledges, though precise current figures are not consistently published.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Closed Loop Partners: An investment firm and platform building the circular economy through financing, infrastructure, and innovation. Operates at the "System" level of ZeroWaste.Org's framework, with much larger capital resources addressing the same waste and circular-economy problem.
• EarthShare: A federation that connects donors to environmental nonprofits through workplace giving and CSR programs. Comparable as a donation-channel infrastructure for environmental nonprofits, but operating at a much larger scale as a multi-charity aggregator.

Direct peers

• Plastic Pollution Coalition: A global nonprofit coalition focused on ending plastic pollution through education, advocacy, and community action. Directly comparable to ZeroWaste.Org in mission (waste reduction, plastic-free living), target audience (individuals and community organizers), and community-led GTM.
• 5 Gyres Institute: A nonprofit focused on reducing plastic pollution through science, education, and advocacy campaigns. Comparable nonprofit structure, plastic-focused mission, and emphasis on policy and behavior change to address waste.
• The Story of Stuff Project: A nonprofit using storytelling, education, and advocacy to challenge overconsumption and shift the systems driving waste. Closely aligned with ZeroWaste.Org's You/Community/System framework and emphasis on the upstream causes of household waste.
• r/ZeroWaste (Reddit community): A 2M+ member Reddit community explicitly referenced by ZeroWaste.Org as a partner channel for participants. Serves a near-identical audience interested in zero waste living, plastic reduction, and composting, making it the largest direct community peer.
• Plastic Free Foundation: A nonprofit coordinating Plastic Free July, one of the largest global movements challenging single-use plastic. Highly comparable challenge-based, pledge-driven model to ZeroWaste.Org's Plastic Free Challenge program.
• EcoCycle: A nonprofit recycler and zero waste services organization operating curbside composting and reuse programs in Colorado. Directly comparable in running community-scale composting and zero waste programs with municipal partnerships, though at a more mature scale.
• Surfrider Foundation: A grassroots nonprofit focused on protecting oceans from plastic pollution and other threats, with active volunteer chapters and community-based campaigns. Comparable volunteer-driven, chapter-based model and overlap on plastic-free and beach cleanup programs.
• Ecosia: A search engine that uses profits to fund reforestation and environmental projects, combining a digital platform with measurable environmental impact. Comparable in combining a consumer-facing digital product with sustainability outcomes and donation-driven funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/livezerowaste
• Instagraminstagram.com/zerowastedotorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zerowastedotorg

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Zerowaste.org