Veolia’s RECAPP app signs three-year Agthia contract for 20M PET bottle recycling loop

UAE – Veolia’s RECAPP recycling app has secured a three-year closed-loop contract with Agthia’s Al Ain Water brand in Abu Dhabi, targeting collection of up to 20 million PET bottles annually for processing into food-grade rPET pellets.

The agreement transforms RECAPP from an awareness-building platform into a defined industrial recycling loop. 

Post-consumer PET bottles collected from households in Abu Dhabi through RECAPP are sent to local recycler Repeet, where they are turned into food-grade recycled PET pellets used to produce new Al Ain Water bottles that re-enter retail shelves. 

The agreement supports Agthia’s goal of having 100% of its packaging recyclable with a growing share made from recycled content. In 2024, Agthia’s RECAPP sponsorship collected 1,128 tonnes of waste and reduced 898.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions. 

How RECAPP’s Doorstep Collection Model Transforms UAE Household Recycling

RECAPP was launched by Veolia in 2020 as the UAE’s first digital recycling solution, built around a mobile app that lets users schedule pick-ups of separated recyclables including plastic bottles, cans and paper from their doorstep in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. 

The service partners with local logistics and sorting facilities so that collected material is weighed, traced and directed to specialized recyclers. 

Users receive loyalty points redeemable for vouchers or discounts with partner brands. 

In its first year, RECAPP built a community of 10,000 registered users and collected 85 metric tonnes of recyclables, with an average of 500 kg collected daily. 

The app’s data layer tracks collection volumes and material types at the level of pick-up requests, allowing brands to measure the impact of incentives and report on recycling targets.

Why the Agthia Deal Creates a Scalable Recycling Model for the Gulf

Al Ain Water launched the UAE’s first locally produced 100% rPET bottle in February 2023, generating 75% less CO2 emissions and requiring less energy compared to virgin PET production. 

The new three-year RECAPP agreement locks in demand for the collected PET stream, providing volume certainty for recycler Repeet and stability for the collection model in Abu Dhabi. 

The partnership positions RECAPP as a replicable software template for future extended producer responsibility schemes in the region, where digital tracking and closed-loop recycling are likely to play a growing role. 

RECAPP has also expanded to include premium features for businesses and schools under the “RECAPP for Business” and “RECAPP for Schools” banners, widening the data pool on post-consumer packaging flows across the UAE.

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