Ride sharing, meet recycling.
Utah-based Recyclops plans to bring its novel approach to recycling to the Upstate this summer and is actively recruiting drivers and new customers.
The company uses an Uber-type model where independent drivers using their personal vehicles collect recyclables from customers for about $12/month. The Recyclops app allows customers to keep track of scheduled pickups and request additional collection bags.
CEO Ryan Smith said the idea for the company came in late 2017 when he was attending college in Provo, Utah, and discovered the community did not have a municipal recycling program.
As someone who grew up in communities where recycling was always available, it had not occurred to him that some areas did not have it.
“It kind of blew my mind,” Smith said. “Coming to that knowledge was a big turning point for me.”
Smith said the company operates in more than 100 communities across 12 states and is recruiting 100 customers in the Greenville area.
A cost-effective option
The company’s business model seeks to aid two groups of people: locals who want jobs and people who want to recycle. Using independent drivers with personal vehicles keeps costs down and helps ensure only acceptable material gets picked up.
Smith said Recyclops customers tend to be conscientious about sorting their recyclables, which means a higher percentage of the material is likely to be recycled and not end up in a landfill.
The company is focusing efforts on bringing back recycling to communities that lost their programs due to concerns like increased costs or low participation rates, Smith said.
“Right now as a company our big focus is to bring back recycling to communities that have lost it,” Smith said. “We’re really excited about this whole region.”
Simpsonville may be first
He added that Recyclops is working with the city of Simpsonville to offer residents an option when that city’s curbside recycling program ends in September 2021.
Simpsonville community relations specialist Justin Campbell said that although the city will end its curbside recycling program, it still values sustainability and sees Recyclops as an option for residents.
“I really see this as a perfect opportunity for a public-private partnership,” Campbell said.
For more information about Recyclops and its efforts to begin operations in Greenville, visit recyclops.com/greenvillecounty.
