We would like to introduce you here to The Recirculars, a startup working on systems that bring traceability, granularity and control to the entire waste cycle by developing technologies based on identification, sensorisation, computer vision, artificial intelligence and data analytics. The Recirculars was recently selected as a winner in the first edition of the Open Call for Waste Management Startups promoted by TheCircularLab – Ecoembes.
Santiago Colomo, its Head of Technology Architecture and AI Implementation, explains the details of their solution.
What problem does your startup address and what solution does it propose?
At The Recirculars, we address a key challenge in waste management: the lack of real traceability, especially in the organic fraction. Many systems make it possible to know how much waste is collected, but not always with what quality, who is separating correctly, or what information can help improve management.
Our solution, TR Recapture, combines physical traceability, digital identification, inspection, artificial intelligence and data analytics to turn organic waste into useful information. We help municipalities, waste managers and plants improve separation, optimise processes and move towards fairer, more measurable and circular models.
How and why did you start this entrepreneurial journey? Is there any advice from your experience that you would like to share with future entrepreneurs?
We started because we saw that the circular economy needed to become more grounded in day-to-day operations. It was not enough to talk about sustainability: it was necessary to measure better, trace better, and connect the citizen, the waste, the municipality and the treatment plant.
The main lesson is not to fall in love only with the technology, but with the problem. Listening to those who manage daily operations is key to building solutions that do not remain just a good presentation, but actually work in real life.
How do you expect the sector to evolve? And what expectations do you have for your startup?
We expect the sector to become increasingly based on data, traceability and efficiency. Regulatory pressure, European targets and the need to implement fairer models will require systems capable of measuring better and making decisions based on reliable information.
Our expectation is to consolidate TR Recapture as a benchmark solution for the traceability and improvement of biowaste management, moving from pilots and validations to real deployments with operational, environmental and economic impact.
Are there any upcoming developments or news that you would like to share with other startups?
We are evolving the solution so that it can be integrated more easily into different urban management models and operational environments. The goal is not only to capture data, but to turn it into useful decisions.
We are also developing new capabilities linked to inspection, artificial intelligence, behavioural analytics and the generation of indicators to better measure the quality of the organic fraction and the real impact of waste policies.
In what areas would you like to collaborate with other startups, companies or organisations?
We would like to collaborate with companies, public entities, waste managers, plant operators, technology centres and startups in processes where TR Recapture can provide clear improvements, either as an end-to-end solution or by incorporating specific modules.
Our approach is to add capabilities to existing operations: traceability, inspection, quality control, identification of contributions, data analytics, collection optimisation or support for pay-as-you-throw models. We are looking for partnerships where our systems can be integrated and demonstrate value under real conditions.
You were selected as winners of Challenge 1 of the Open Call for Waste Management Startups, which received more than 160 applications from over 50 countries. Could you tell us about your experience with the call?
The experience has been very positive because it has allowed us to validate our proposal in an international context and alongside high-level applications. It confirms that traceability of the organic fraction is not a local challenge, but a global need.
Winning Challenge 1 of the Open Call promoted by TheCircularLab and Ecoembes is an important recognition and, at the same time, a responsibility. For us, it is a clear sign that the ecosystem is ready for solutions that connect technology, sustainability and public management with real impact.