What Droppie does

Droppie is a Dutch recycling-services company founded in 2024 and headquartered in Amsterdam that operates a network of 12 physical drop-off retail locations across the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and additional cities). The company enables consumers to return diverse waste streams — deposit-bearing bottles and cans (statiegeld), rigid plastic packaging, e-waste, textiles, and an experimental set of materials via its 'Recycle Wall' — in a single visit and receive per-item or per-kilogram monetary compensation through the Droppie mobile app, with payouts processed via Tikkie (ABN AMRO) within one business day. Underlying technology includes automated Dropbot collection machines at each location and high-speed bulk deposit machines capable of processing over 100 bottles and cans per minute. Independent testing reports a plastic contamination rate of only 1%, materially better than municipal post-separation streams, supporting closed-loop recycling economics.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: (i) per-item and per-kilo processing fees on collected recyclables, monetized via resale to downstream recycling partners; (ii) brand-sponsored take-back programs under the 'Droppie for Brands' B2B platform, through which consumer brands pay Droppie for collection infrastructure, gain real-time ESG/EPR data, and embed rewards in their loyalty programs; and (iii) ancillary engagement mechanisms such as the Statiegeld Loterij deposit lottery. Statutory and EPR partners include Statiegeld Nederland, Verpact, and Stichting Open (Wecycle), anchored by municipal cooperation with the Municipality of Amsterdam. Distribution combines physical storefronts, a self-serve mobile app (iOS, Android), and direct B2B sales to consumer brands.

Droppie was founded by Natascha Hermsen and Stef Traa. To date, the company has processed 4M+ statiegeld items and 220,000+ drop-off moments, serves 60,000+ reachable households, and reports 50,000+ monthly visitors across its network (English site: 22,000+ monthly visitors). In June 2026 the company closed a €4.8M funding round from Amsterdam Climate and Energy Fund, ROM InWest, Social Impact Fonds Rotterdam (SIFR), and Start Foundation to support expansion toward 'dozens' of shopping areas. The company has no public revenue disclosure, is privately held, and continues to raise capital via the Dutch Dragons crowdfunding platform.

Name

Droppie

Legal name

Droppie

Website

https://godroppie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Droppie is a Dutch recycling-services company (founded 2024, Amsterdam) operating 12 physical drop-off locations and a mobile app that pay consumers per item or kilogram for deposit items, plastic packaging, e-waste, textiles, and other recyclables, while running a B2B take-back and ESG data platform for consumer brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling & Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (5621), Other Waste Collection (562119)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) & Subscription Collection Programs (BPALAAAI), Bulky Waste & White Goods Drop-Off/Transfer (BPALABAE)

Keywords

• Recycling services
• Consumer waste collection
• Deposit return
• Circular economy platforms
• E-waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recycling Fee - Per Item/Kilo: Droppie charges users a fee per item or per kilogram of recyclable materials dropped off, depending on the stream type and whether a fee can be offered. This is the primary revenue mechanism — users receive compensation (paid out via Tikkie) while Droppie monetizes by aggregating and selling sorted recyclable materials to recycling partners.
2. Brand Partnerships & Take-Back Programs: Droppie offers brands a take-back program (Droppie for Brands) where brands pay Droppie to collect their packaging/products, gain access to consumer data and ESG metrics, and can integrate Droppie rewards into their own loyalty programs.
3. Statiegeld Lottery: Users who drop off deposit items are entered into a lottery for prizes (local products, digital codes), creating engagement and repeat usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Droppie operates a network of physical recycling drop-off stores across the Netherlands where consumers can drop off deposit bottles and cans, e-waste, textiles, and rigid plastic packaging in a single visit. Users register via a mobile app, scan QR codes to log their drops, and receive monetary compensation paid out via Tikkie or can donate to charity. The company also runs a B2B 'Droppie for Brands' take-back program and a parcel service at its store locations.

Product overview

Droppie is a Dutch recycling network combining physical drop-off stores, a mobile app, automated bulk machines, and a B2B brand partnership platform into a unified service. The core Droppie App serves as the central interface for user registration, QR-code-based drop tracking, reward disbursement via Tikkie, and entry into the Statiegeld Loterij (deposit lottery). Physical Droppie stores accept five primary waste streams: deposit bottles and cans (via the Dropbot bulk machine), rigid plastic packaging, e-waste, textiles, and a Recycle Wall of experimental materials. The Droppie for Brands B2B platform layers on top, enabling consumer brands to run take-back programs with loyalty rewards and real-time ESG/EPR data. The Parcel Service at store locations rounds out the offering by integrating with carriers such as PostNL, DHL, DPD, UPS, Mondial, Budbee, and Vinted Go. The business is headquartered in the Netherlands with locations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Droppie for Brands: Business-facing service allowing brands to create take-back programs, reward loyal customers, and access recycling data and insights.
• Droppie Lottery (Statiegeld Loterij)
• Recycle Wall (Recyclewaar)

Products and services

• Droppie App Mobile application (iOS) that serves as the primary user interface for Droppie's recycling service. Users register with a phone number, receive a personal QR code, scan items at Droppie locations to log their drops, and receive monetary rewards via Tikkie or choose to donate to charity.
• Deposit Return (Statiegeld Inname) Core Droppie service accepting deposit-bearing plastic bottles and cans (with and without deposit logos), processing them via the bulk machine and compensating users per item or kilogram. Materials are compacted, washed, and pelletized or melted for closed-loop recycling.
• Rigid Plastic Packaging Collection Droppie collects rigid plastic packaging (yogurt cups, detergent bottles, salad containers, drink cartons) separately from general waste. Independent research confirms only 1% contamination, enabling high-quality closed-loop recycling into new food-grade packaging.
• E-Waste Collection Droppie collects small and large electrical appliances (phones, laptops, cables, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washing machines) with secure data erasure and material recovery through Stichting Open (Wecycle). Working devices are repaired and given a second life; broken devices are disassembled for parts or material recycling.
• Textile Collection Droppie collects textiles including clothing, shoes, curtains, bags, bedding, towels, and stuffed animals. Wet or moldy items and those with paint or oil residue are accepted. Approximately 85% of collected clothing goes to second-hand shops; the remainder is recycled into car seat padding or insulation.
• Droppie for Brands (B2B Platform) B2B service that enables consumer brands to run take-back programs for their packaging and products, offering loyalty rewards to consumers through the Droppie app, and providing brands with real-time data, recycling rates, and CO2 savings metrics for EPR reporting and ESG goals.
• Statiegeld Loterij (Deposit Lottery) Gamified incentive program integrated into the Droppie app where users who drop off deposit items are automatically entered into a lottery draw for prizes such as circular products and local experiences. Draws occur every 2-3 weeks.
• Droppie Parcel Service Parcel drop-off and pick-up service available at Droppie store locations, integrated with carriers including PostNL, DHL, DPD, UPS, Mondial Relay, Budbee, and Vinted Go. Users can send and collect parcels at Droppie locations.
• Recycle Wall (Recyclewaar Muur) Innovation section of the Droppie service where new materials are tested for circularity and take-back. Includes coffee capsules, ink cartridges, tennis balls, batteries, lamps, corks, cooking oil, brush heads, and books, each processed through specialized recycling partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000,000+ statiegeld items processed; 220,000+ drop-off moments; 60,000+ reachable households; 50,000+ monthly visitors
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Gemeente Amsterdam (Municipality of Amsterdam)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Municipality of Amsterdam is a key partner in Droppie's operations, providing support and collaboration for Droppie's retail locations within the city. Amsterdam is one of the primary cities where Droppie operates multiple drop-points.
• Statiegeld NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatiegeld Nederland is the national deposit system organization in the Netherlands. Droppie integrates with the deposit return system, accepting plastic bottles and cans covered by the national statiegeld scheme and offering bulk deposit machines.
• Stichting Open (Wecycle)coreTechnology or IntegrationStichting Open (operating as Wecycle) is Droppie's recycling partner for e-waste and small electrical appliances. They handle data erasure, repair assessment, and material recycling for electronics dropped at Droppie locations.
• VerpactcoreTechnology or IntegrationVerpact is the Dutch extended producer responsibility organization for packaging materials. Droppie works with Verpact to ensure proper recycling of plastic packaging and to support EPR reporting for brands.
• Tikkie (ABN AMRO)coreTechnology or IntegrationTikkie is the payment app (by ABN AMRO bank) that Droppie uses to pay out user rewards. Users receive their compensation via Tikkie transfer to their bank account within one business day.
• PostNLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPostNL is a parcel delivery partner that works with Droppie locations, enabling package drop-off and pickup services at certain Droppie stores alongside recycling services.
• Food for SkinflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood for Skin is a skincare brand that partnered with Droppie for a packaging take-back campaign. The campaign exceeded its recycling goal by 25%, demonstrating the brand partnership model.
• Pieter PotflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPieter Pot is a Dutch food refill brand that partnered with Droppie to use Droppie locations as a physical drop-off point for their jars. The pilot led to 20% month-on-month store revenue growth.
• BamboovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBamboovement is a sustainable products brand that is listed as a brand partner on Droppie's website, suggesting a take-back or brand partnership relationship.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Recup: Germany's reusable cup deposit system operating a network of return points with brand and retail partnerships. Operates the same single-stream reusable/deposit reward loop, although focused on cups rather than multi-stream recyclables.
• Bower: Swedish recycling rewards app that pays consumers for sorting packaging and cans. Shares Droppie's mobile-app-first, QR-code-based reward model and B2B take-back value proposition for brands seeking recycling data.
• Re-turn: Ireland's national deposit return scheme operator with reverse-vending infrastructure across retail. Comparable to Droppie as a deposit-return aggregator, though operating as a national non-profit rather than a consumer-facing rewards brand.
• Tomra: Norwegian global leader in reverse-vending machines for deposit-return schemes. Directly comparable to Droppie's Dropbot bulk deposit machines and statiegeld processing model, serving the same municipal and brand compliance needs across Europe.

Emerging players

• Algramo: Chilean refillable packaging platform partnering with consumer brands on take-back and reuse infrastructure. Comparable to Droppie for Brands' take-back, refill and loyalty model but at brand sites instead of drop-off stores.
• Litterati: Data-driven litter-tracking platform delivering ESG and recovery data to brands and municipalities. Adjacent to Droppie's brand data and EPR offering, addressing the same compliance-driven data buyer.
• Too Good To Go: European app that pays consumers to rescue surplus food from restaurants and retailers. Different waste stream (food vs. recyclables) but uses the same mobile-app reward, lottery/loyalty retention mechanics and brand partnership economics.

Others

• Stichting Open / Wecycle: Dutch PRO for e-waste and small appliances operating collection infrastructure. Droppie's partner rather than competitor but a directly comparable operator in adjacent Dutch waste streams that highlights potential routes to vertical integration.
• Statiegeld Nederland: National deposit system organiser with which Droppie integrates. The institutional counterparty that effectively defines the rules and pricing of Droppie's largest revenue stream, making it both a regulator and a potential disruptor.

Broad incumbents

• Envipco: Dutch-headquartered reverse-vending and recycling technology provider. Wider portfolio of deposit and recycling equipment with an established European footprint; overlaps with Droppie on statiegeld and RVM lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61557992469615
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/godroppie
• Instagraminstagram.com/godroppie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

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 Droppie