TOMRA acquires BottleCycler

TOMRA Collection Solutions has acquired 60% of the shares in BottleCycler, the Australian-based company manufacturing machines that crush glass bottles for restaurants and bars.

Founded in 2002, BottleCycler focuses on making re-use and recycling easier for the hospitality industry by enabling the recycling of beverage containers through on-site glass crushing.

The compact BottleCycler crusher is positioned behind the service area in hospitality venues for the easy disposal of wine, beer and soda bottles. Crushing the glass inside the unit ensures greater storage capacity, less manual handling and heavy lifting, and lower likelihood of personal injury.

BottleCycler provides around 900 machines to hospitality venues in Australia and several overseas markets. Approximately 85% of the glass crushed through BottleCycler can go back into the manufacture of new bottles.

TOMRA, which produces reverse vending machines that collect bottles and cans for re-use and recycling, has strengthened its reach by combining with BottleCycler’s vision to make recycling simple and efficient for the hospitality sector.

“TOMRA and BottleCycler are a natural fit, as we both strive to provide faster, cleaner and smarter recycling solutions for clients in the service sector,” said Harald Henriksen, executive vice president and head of TOMRA Collection Solutions. “TOMRA’s extensive international network will enable BottleCycler to expand its geographic reach, and BottleCycler’s offering extends TOMRA to a new industry. We are excited to welcome BottleCycler to the TOMRA Collection Solutions family and explore new opportunities together.”

TOMRA has over 75,000 such installations across more than 60 markets worldwide, often where a deposit is refunded for returning used beverage containers. TOMRA installations are typically used by end consumers and offered at retail locations.

“Combining our products with TOMRA’s expertise in deposit systems, and technology for 360° instant container recognition, will also enable BottleCycler to better serve markets with container deposit systems. We are very pleased to join forces with TOMRA,” said Darryl Rainsbury, CEO of BottleCycler.

BottleCycler has a turnover of approximately $3 million and is headquartered in Melbourne. BottleCycler will be part of TOMRA’s Asia–Pacific operations.

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