Recirculate Systems began out of a frustration with needless single-use waste in the cafe industry. Ali, one of our founders, decided to do something about it when he launched a planet-first, zero-waste initiative across his cafe chain, Roo's Coffee, in Essex.

He quickly realised that regular consumers were willing to make the switch to reusable cups; if they were easy to use and return. However, no zero-waste solutions, on the market, offered the kind of ease-of-use he knew was necessary to make the circular economy work at that scale.

So Ali and Tommy, another founder, set out to make a solution that was truly frictionless and matched the ease-of-use of single-use containers. First, they created Delete Cups which piloted the new technology within a controlled environment. However, after some time at Roo's Coffee, Ali and Tommy decided that if they truly wanted to have an impact on the single-use waste crises, they needed to use their new software to service the growing circular economy.

With over £1 million in investment, Recirculate is looking forward to starting its first trials in the upcoming months.