Improving solar panel recycling. Sustainable diaper processing. Compostable packaging. Innovations that divert waste from landfills and support recycling and reuse are essential to meet Washington’s climate and environmental goals. The NextCycle Washington business accelerator program funded by the Washington Department of Ecology, the Washington Recycling Market Development Center, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency helps support and develop those ideas. 

NextCycle Washington has selected 13 entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and small business teams from a field of applicants across the state. NextCycle Washington will provide the teams with consulting, technical, business and marketing support, and help them connect with potential partners, suppliers, and funders in a six-month program. After six months, the teams will compete in a pitch showcase for monetary awards. 

“Over the last 25 years, Washington’s recycling rate has slipped while the amount of waste we produce per person keeps growing,” said Peter Lyon, head of Ecology’s Solid Waste Management program. “We need innovation and fresh ideas to improve recycling and reduce waste – and the NextCycle Washington program is helping us find those new approaches.”

As noted above, NextCycle Washington has recognized a wide range of innovations. Here are four 2024 NextCycle teams focused specifically on circular packaging: 

• Corumat, Inc. (Yakima): Corumat is seeking to develop The Big Green Loop® – a packaging ecosystem where compostable materials and food waste are collected and recycled back into more compostable packaging. The team will work to refine their business plan and pitch, identify funding pathways, and engage and build a coalition of supporters. This project will divert food and organic waste from landfills, displace carbon-intensive manufactured products, and reduce the impact on climate change.
• NaturallyContained (Seattle): NaturallyContained is currently launching its reusable and compostable coco fiber packaging that is renewably sourced, responsibly manufactured, and fully backyard compostable with no special facility or processing necessary. The team is seeking to connect with Washington’s gardening industry, identify funding pathways, and gain visibility in the marketplace. The project will help to reduce materials going to landfills and encourage material reuse.
• Remakery (Tacoma): Remakery, a non-profit organization providing workshops to educate the community on reusing post-consumer materials (including repurposing used flexible packaging), is seeking to pilot a micro-recycling program for hard-to-recycle plastics. During the NextCycle Washington program, the team will work to refine a business plan, connect with community partners, and identify funding pathways. This project will help divert hard-to-recycled plastics from landfills.
• Revino (Newberg, Ore.): Revino is seeking to enter the Washington marketplace with its reusable, returnable wine bottle system. During the NextCycle Washington program, the team will work to refine their business model and operational plans to fit Washington’s unique market and connect with distribution and wine industry partners. This project will reduce CO2 emissions and reposition the typically single-use glass wine bottle into a high-volume (25+ times) reusable glass wine bottle ecosystem.

NextCycle Washington is an initiative of the Washington Department of Ecology and the Washington Recycling Market Development Center, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Additional support is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Seattle Office of Economic Development.

The program is facilitated by RRS, Cascadia Consulting Group, Start Consulting and Traversal. 

This is the second year for the NextCycle Washington program. In its first year, NextCycle Washington supported 15 accelerator teams, provided 41 seed grants, and helped raise over $20 million in investor funds.

The program also led to 70 new jobs and helped divert 4 million pounds of material away from landfills.

Find more information on NextCycle Washington and how to get involved by becoming a project partner, Pitch Showcase sponsor, and other ways to support the program at www.NextCycleWashington.com.