TRASHBACK

What TRASHBACK does

TrashBack is a Russian circular-economy company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Moscow, operating a vertically integrated stack across waste collection, resident engagement, and recycled-plastic manufacturing. Its three core offerings are: (1) an Eco Superapp — a mobile application (available on App Store, Google Play, and RuStore) that combines waste drop-off coordination, neighborhood cleanup events, recycling-point mapping, eco-taxi booking for bulk recyclables, a 3D-printed goods marketplace, and a gamified Ecocoin reward currency; (2) Fandomats — patented reverse vending machines that accept secondary raw materials and use NFC and Russian-mandated Honest Sign (Честный знак) barcode scanning to personalize and track each deposit while crediting Ecocoins; and (3) large-format 3D printing services that process domestically sourced recycled impact-resistant polystyrene (06-HIPS) into furniture, lighting, decor, custom corporate objects, and municipal street furniture. Underlying technology includes proprietary in-house-designed large-format 3D printers, a computer vision waste-recognition model trained on user-labeled photos, and generative AI for certain architectural forms.

TrashBack serves three customer segments. B2C individual Russian residents use the app and fandomats to earn Ecocoins and participate in recycling. B2B enterprise clients — including Coca-Cola, SIBUR, Tetra Pak, VkusVill, X5/Pyatyorochka, A101, Твой Дом, Siberian Glass, and MCB — purchase or lease fandomats for packaging take-back, commission custom 3D printing projects (corporate furniture, branded souvenirs), and buy Digital Subbotnik ESG/team-building programs. B2G municipal clients — notably the Moscow Government (custom 3D-printed vodomat casings and Lomonosov Cluster collection network), Reutov, and Sochi — buy digital waste-tracking infrastructure, resident motivation platforms, and 3D-printed street furniture. Geographic footprint is primarily Russian (Moscow, Moscow Region, Krasnodar Territory) with cross-border deployment in Kazakhstan.

The company monetizes through six streams: fandomat hardware sales/leasing (B2B/B2G), custom and consumer 3D printing services (B2B/B2C via Yandex Market), digital environmental services contracts for cities, Digital Subbotnik professional services for corporations, Yandex Market marketplace sales net of fees, and Ecocoin partner referral/affiliate commissions. GTM motion is hybrid: product-led/self-serve for the consumer app (app store distribution + in-fandomat QR codes), direct enterprise sales for B2B and B2G (no public pricing; quote-based projects), and marketplace listing for B2C 3D-printed goods. Founder Alexey Maslov leads the privately held company; no institutional investors or parent company are disclosed in the source materials.

Name

TRASHBACK

Legal name

TrashBack

Website

https://trashback.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

TrashBack is a Russian circular-economy company (founded 2018) that operates an eco superapp, patented reverse-vending fandomats, and large-format 3D printing from recycled plastic, serving individual residents, large enterprises (Coca-Cola, SIBUR, Tetra Pak), and city governments in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling Technology and Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

Keywords

• Circular economy technology
• Smart recycling kiosks
• Recycled plastic manufacturing
• Waste tracking software
• Large-format 3D printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Продажа 3D-печатных изделий (B2B и B2C) — 3D Printed Product Sales: Custom large-format 3D printing services sold to B2B (corporate furniture, souvenirs with logos, custom objects) and B2C (furniture, lighting, decor via Yandex Market) customers. Products are manufactured from recycled plastic and priced per unit/project.
2. Продажа и установка фандоматов (Fandomat Hardware Sales): Smart reverse vending machines (fандоматы) are sold or provided to businesses and municipalities. The fandomat hardware accepts recyclable waste in exchange for Ecocoin rewards, creating recurring engagement with end consumers while providing brand visibility for the corporate client. Revenue is generated from the hardware sale or leasing arrangement.
3. Цифровые экологические сервисы для городов (Digital Environmental Services for Cities): Municipalities and city governments pay for custom digital eco-service development, including NFC-enabled waste tracking infrastructure, resident motivation platforms, and urban waste digitization — sold as projects or ongoing service contracts.
4. Цифровой субботник для бизнеса (Digital Subbotnik for Business): Corporate ESG/HR offering where TrashBack designs and runs digital cleanup events for employees and their families, gamified through the app with Ecocoin rewards. Companies pay for the program design and execution as a team-building and ESG initiative.
5. Маркетплейс на Яндекс Маркет (Yandex Market Storefront): Finished 3D-printed goods (furniture, lighting, decor) sold through Yandex Market, with TrashBack operating a branded store. Yandex Market takes a commission on each transaction; TrashBack earns the net revenue on product sales.
6. Экойны и партнёрский кэшбэк (Ecocoin Rewards and Partner Cashback): Ecocoins earned by users for waste deposits can be redeemed at partner merchants. TrashBack may earn referral/affiliate fees when Ecocoins are spent at partner locations, creating a network-effect revenue stream tied to user engagement volume.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TrashBack operates a circular-economy ecosystem for residents, businesses, and municipalities. It provides an Eco Superapp, smart Fandomat reverse-vending machines, digital city waste-tracking infrastructure, and large-format 3D printing of furniture, street furniture, and custom products from recycled plastic.

Product overview

TrashBack operates a circular economy ecosystem consisting of three core offerings: an Eco Superapp (mobile application with eco-services, waste collection tasks, and a reward system called Ecoins), Fandomats (smart reverse vending machines for collecting recyclable materials with branded housings), and large-format 3D printing services (producing furniture, street furniture, and art objects from recycled plastic). The company serves three segments: individual users (B2C), businesses (B2B), and municipalities (B2G). The ecosystem is tied together through the superapp, which connects users to all services and rewards participation across the entire portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TrashBack Eco Superapp (Эко суперапп) A mobile application for residents that combines eco-services, waste collection tasks, neighborhood cleanup tracking, a recycling-point map, eco-taxi ordering for bulk recyclables, and purchases of 3D-printed products; users photograph and label waste images to support neural-network training and earn Ecocoin rewards for completed activities.
• TrashBack Fandomats (Фандоматы) Smart reverse-vending collection points for recyclable materials in branded casings, installed at client sites and public locations. Users scan NFC tags on the machine and product markings through the TrashBack app and receive Ecocoin rewards after deposits; businesses and municipalities use them for consumer-facing take-back and engagement.
• Large-format 3D-printed furniture and products (3D печать — мебель и товары) Large-format 3D-printed furniture, lighting, interior items, decor, and outdoor solutions produced from recycled impact-resistant polystyrene (06-HIPS). Products are colored throughout and are resistant to temperatures from -45°C to +45°C, and are sold to consumers through the TrashBack storefront on Yandex Market.
• TrashBack Digital Subbotnik (Цифровой субботник) A corporate environmental service combining team building with waste collection, use of recycling infrastructure, and area cleanup. Employees and their families participate through the TrashBack app and can earn Ecocoin rewards; companies buy the designed and executed program as a paid B2B offering.
• Recycled-plastic 3D-printed street furniture and urban objects (3D печать уличной мебели и МАФ) Large-format 3D printing of benches, bins/urns, planters, outdoor lighting, small architectural forms (МАФ), facade panels and partitions, navigation signs, and equipment housings from recycled plastic for city governments and public spaces. Some small architectural forms are designed with the help of artificial intelligence.
• Digital infrastructure for cities (Цифровая инфраструктура для городов) A municipal waste-tracking system that uses Honest Sign (Честный знак) markings, NFC tags on bins, and the TrashBack app to follow packaging from residents to recyclers and to track personalized waste collection at container sites. Delivered to city administrations as projects or ongoing service contracts, with implementations in Reutov and Sochi.
• Custom 3D printing projects (Индивидуальные проекты 3D печати) Custom large-format 3D-printing services for businesses and municipalities, covering office and outdoor furniture, branded souvenirs such as vases, keychains, decorations, and lamps, and bespoke projects up to several meters in size. Uses proprietary large-format 3D printers that TrashBack develops and manufactures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fandomats are 6–10 times cheaper to install than classical waste collection solutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• Правительство Москвы (Moscow Government)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoscow Government is a key B2G client, commissioning custom 3D-printed casings for vodomat machines and other municipal equipment, as well as a network of collection points for the Ломоносов Cluster. Represents a flagship reference for government smart city initiatives.
• Coca-Cola (Russia and Kazakhstan)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoca-Cola has installed TrashBack fandomats at its facilities and public locations in Russia and Kazakhstan for consumer-facing packaging take-back, demonstrating a flagship circular economy partnership with a global FMCG brand.
• СИБУР (SIBUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIBUR, Russia's largest petrochemical company, partners with TrashBack for fandomat installations as part of their circular economy and secondary raw material sourcing strategy. Aligns SIBUR's plastic production with downstream recycling infrastructure.
• ВкусВилл (VkusVill)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVkusVill has installed TrashBack fandomats in its stores and conducted a corporate Digital Subbotnik for employees. The partnership serves as a loyalty and ESG engagement tool. VkusVill's environmental projects leader Вардан Варданян provided a testimonial praising the service.
• Пятёрочка (X5 Retail Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerX5 Retail Group (operator of Pyatyorochka, Perekrestok, and Karusel) has installed TrashBack fandomats at its retail locations for packaging take-back, leveraging high foot traffic for consumer recycling engagement.
• Российский экологический оператор / Уберу (Russian Ecological Operator — Uberu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Uberu conscious consumption service operated by the Russian Ecological Operator (РЭО) is integrated into the TrashBack app ecosystem, enabling residents to participate in packaging tracking and recycling through the TrashBack platform.
• A101 (Develi Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA101 real estate developer has installed TrashBack fandomats at its residential development properties in Moscow to encourage separate waste collection among new residents.
• Твой Дом (Tvoy Dom)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome improvement and furniture retail chain Твой Дом hosts TrashBack fandomats at its stores, combining recycling engagement with retail foot traffic.
• Сибирское стекло (Siberian Glass)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlass manufacturer Сибирское стекло partners with TrashBack for glass packaging take-back via fandomats, creating a closed-loop for glass recycling.
• Tetra PakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPackaging company Tetra Pak is listed among TrashBack's major clients, using the platform for packaging take-back and circular economy reporting.
• Eco-Taxi PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party eco-taxi services are integrated into the TrashBack superapp, allowing users to order transportation for bulk recyclables at discounted rates. Partners provide the transportation service; TrashBack provides the booking interface and customer demand.
• Eco-Center PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner eco-centers accept recyclable waste from TrashBack users, who earn Ecocoins for deposits. These partners expand the physical drop-off network beyond TrashBack-operated fandomats.
• Ecocoin Redemption Partners (Retail and Service Merchants)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMerchants who accept Ecocoins as payment or part-payment for goods and services. As users accumulate Ecocoins from recycling activities, these partners provide redemption options, creating a closed reward loop. Partners include retailers, service providers, and TrashBack's own 3D-printed product store.
• Администрация г. Реутов (Reutov City Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReutov city administration in Moscow Oblast implemented TrashBack's NFC-tagged waste bag tracking system for resident waste monitoring and separate collection promotion.
• Администрация г. Сочи (Sochi City Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSochi city administration in Krasnodar Krai partnered with TrashBack for resident motivation programs in separate waste collection using the TrashBack app platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TOMRA: Norwegian global leader in reverse vending machines (RVMs) for beverage container take-back. Directly comparable to TrashBack's fandomat product line — both build patented RVMs that pay rewards for returned packaging, just at very different geographic and scale footprints.
• Anker Andersen: Danish reverse vending machine manufacturer serving European deposit-return schemes. Directly comparable to TrashBack's fandomat hardware business — both produce RVMs that accept post-consumer packaging, scan container barcodes, and issue consumer rewards — and operate as upstream suppliers to beverage/FMCG and municipal customers.
• Envipco: Netherlands/US-based designer and manufacturer of reverse vending machines for beverage containers. Closely comparable to TrashBack's patented fandomats: same product category (RVM hardware), same customer base (FMCG brands and municipalities seeking deposit-return infrastructure), same reward-mechanic business model.
• Sidel: Part of the Tetra Laval Group, Sidel manufactures reverse vending machines and complete packaging lines for beverage companies. Comparable to TrashBack because it sells RVM hardware into the same enterprise procurement channels that TrashBack targets (e.g., Coca-Cola and Tetra Pak are explicitly shared customers/end markets).
• Wincor Nixdorf: Germany-headquartered provider of retail and banking technology including reverse vending machines. Comparable to TrashBack's fandomats as a competing RVM platform sold into retail and municipal channels for consumer packaging take-back and loyalty integration.

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest US-based waste and environmental services provider, with extensive collection, recycling, and materials recovery operations. Broadly comparable to TrashBack as a large-scale waste management incumbent, but operating in a fundamentally different geography, scale, and (predominantly non-reward-based) consumer model.
• Veolia: French global waste management, water and energy services giant. Comparable to TrashBack at the broad-industry level (waste collection, recycling, materials recovery) but operates a much wider portfolio (municipal contracts, treatment, disposal) rather than the consumer-engagement + RVM + recycled-plastic 3D-printing stack TrashBack specializes in.
• Suez: French multinational water and waste management company with extensive collection, sorting, and recycling operations in Europe. Overlaps with TrashBack's municipal and materials-recovery activities but serves as a broad industry incumbent rather than a niche specialist in consumer-facing reward-based recycling.

Emerging players

• Recycleye: UK AI-for-recycling startup using computer vision and robotics to sort waste streams. Comparable to TrashBack on the AI/waste-recognition dimension (TrashBack trains its neural net via user-labeled waste images; Recycleye operates at MRF scale), but with no consumer reward loop.
• Greyparrot: UK-based AI waste recognition company deploying computer vision at materials recovery facilities. Comparable to TrashBack's computer-vision and waste-recognition work inside the Eco Superapp, but focused on MRF-side analytics rather than consumer-facing deposit reward.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 TRASHBACK