Circulr Collection Technology

Thanks to a supporting grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Circulr has developed a prototype, TRL 6 reverse vending machine capable of accepting, sorting, and safely storing reusable packaging.

The Circulr Difference

Circulr’s automated collection machine, other wise known as a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), stands apart from other RVM’s in a few key ways that are important to Canadian retailers.

Modular

Our machine has 4 swappable modules that can handle a wide variety of packaging, including standardized packaging that Circulr is developing and sourcing from packaging manufacturers. These Swappable modules allow us to quickly respond to the changing needs of collection sites.

Real Time Data

Our machine captures data for each item returned and each consumer visit, allowing both retail colleciton sites and the brands collected by the amchine to gain valuable insights on their consumers.

Extended Service

Circulr offers collection, washing, and packaging management services that can be coupled with our RVM. This holistic service and technology combination ensures that your collection site can reap all of the benefits of reuse without having to commit staff to machine servicing.

Canadian Designed & Built

Our company is focused on making Canada the most reuse friendly country in the world, which is why our machine was designed by Canadian engineers, our prototype was built in Canada, and all of our commercial production will be completed in Canada as well.

If you are a retailer interested in hosting a Circulr RVM, or if you have more questions about Circulr’s technology offerings please reach out!

How We Got Here

As Circulr operated its reusable packaging platform we found that there was a gap in the market when it came to automating the collection process. Many stores interested in Circulr’s returnable packaging model wanted to join the platform but were uninterested in having their staff manage returns. Though there were automated machines to handle packaging returns, commonly referred to as Reverse Vending Machines (RVM) these machines typcially focused only on recyclable packaging, with limited functionality when it came to reusables. Additionally these machines were usually expensive and sourced primarily from outside of North America, leaving a gap for a reuse-focused, low-cost, Canadian made RVM. Circulr decided to develop its own RVM in order to fill this gap and better service our growing reuse system. In September of 2024 our prototype was completed to the shared standard of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. Since then Circulr has continued to develop our design and project a final commercialized version of our machine will be ready in late 2025. An artist render of our final machine can be seen below