Provo’s Recyclops growing in business and purpose
A truck picks up one of many cardboard containers around Utah County Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Provo. Over the last few years that the Recyclops business has been around, they have grown exponentially according to CEO and founder Ryan Smith. DOMINC VALENTE, Daily Herald
CEO and founder of Recyclops Ryan Smith puts labels on new cardboard containers Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Provo. In just two years, Recyclops has grown faster than Smith could have ever imagined. DOMINC VALENTE, Daily Herald
A truck picks up one of many cardboard containers around Utah County on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Provo. Over the last few years that the Recyclops business has been around, they have grown exponentially according to CEO and founder Ryan Smith. DOMINC VALENTE, Daily Herald
CEO and founder of Recyclops Ryan Smith poses for a photo in front of one of the new cardboard containers his business owns Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Provo. In just 2 years, Recyclops has grown faster than Smith could have ever imagined. DOMINC VALENTE, Daily Herald
A truck pick ups one of many cardboard containers around Utah County Wednesday, March 8, 2017 in Provo. Over the last few years that the Recyclops business has been around, they have grown exponentially according to CEO and founder Ryan Smith. DOMINC VALENTE, Daily Herald
A truck pick ups one of many cardboard containers around Utah County Wednesday, March 8, 2017 in Provo. Over the last few years that the Recyclops business has been around, they have grown exponentially according to CEO and founder Ryan Smith. DOMINC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Businesses grow and change, and Provo’s Recyclops is no different.
When Ryan Smith started Recyclops in 2014, he was still a student at Brigham Young University, and his business was targeted at encouraging recycling in student housing complexes. As time went on, though, Smith realized he needed to change his focus. When he graduated in 2016, he set about doing that.
“We were growing slowly, so to help growth, we looked at different ways to do recycling,” he said. “For many businesses, cardboard is the biggest byproduct they produce. Almost everything comes in a cardboard box.”
Smith decided to partner with local businesses that generate a lot of cardboard — a fairly easy-to-find target market.
“In the first month, we had 47 new accounts. That was the ‘a ha’ moment. I knew we were onto something,” Smith said. This was a significant jump from the one to two new apartment complex accounts added to his clientele each month.
Smith said it was good business, but it was also good for the environment — the reason he started in the first place.
“I wanted to have a bigger impact, and do something that could grow. With apartments, we were doing only eight tons per month. Now we are doing 70 tons of recycling each month. That was a lot more than we were doing before,” he said.
For Utah County businesses, it’s not just a “feel good” benefit to working with Recyclops. Those that generate a lot of cardboard, like the Provo Towne Centre Mall, save business costs partnering with Recyclops. Where these companies previously were paying to have the cardboard hauled away with the rest of their garbage, they now are using Recyclop’s services for free.
“Traditionally you can’t do recycling for free because of the sorting. But because we focus solely on cardboard, there is no sorting, so we can do it for free,” Smith said. “We’re making is good for businesses to recycle, beyond just the warm fuzzies.”
A brightly colored Recyclops bin sits behind Guru’s Café in downtown Provo, and it is well-used. Guru’s Manager Chris Pavlus said when Smith approached him, partnering with Recyclops just made sense.
“It’s a great concept, period. It’s a great thing to do, and it should be happening anyways,” Pavlus said. “At Guru’s, we try to be ecologically friendly as a business, so it fit.”
Pavlus also encouraged the neighboring restaurants on that block to use the service as well, and Recyclops now runs pickups at their location a few times a week depending on the flow of business. The Provo Towne Centre is a daily pickup. But because Recyclops isn’t on a fixed route or schedule, it can customize days and times for each company’s schedule.
Pavlus explained that there was one week when their bin was overflowing, and Smith personally came out on a Saturday to take care of it.
“That really impressed me. They’re very dedicated,” Pavlus said.
With Smith’s drive, Recyclops has grown in size as well. When he started, Smith was the boss and employee. Now his wife, Abigail, manages the accounting, and he employs two drivers and contracts with four contracted part-time sales workers.
Smith also has a vision for how to expand as well. In the next few years, he plans to expand beyond Utah County. Down the road, once he has smooth operational procedures that work across multiple cities, he’ll expand beyond the state borders. He also hopes to one day open a Utah County cardboard recycling facility, as Recyclops’ drivers currently use a West Valley facility — one of the only options close to Provo.
“They’re really hustling, and making it happen,” Pavlus said. “It’s nice to see people who believe in a cause and are doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”