Established
1985
Franchise Units
86
Minimum Investment
$161,940
Franchise Fee
$49,500
Total Investment Range
$216,980
Home Based
No
Description
Clothes Bin® is the first textile recycling franchise in the U.S., offering a tech-driven, semi-absentee business model that’s easy to manage and highly scalable. Featuring signature bright green Bins placed in high-traffic locations like schools, gas stations, and shopping centers, this business runs 24/7/365 without inventory costs, food spoilage, or employee turnover. BLIP® (Bin Location Information Program) tracks fill levels and optimizes routes via a web-based dashboard and app—giving franchisees full visibility and control from anywhere.
Ideal for portfolio investors, retirees, or professionals keeping their day job, Clothes Bin® is a low-overhead, eco-friendly business with strong unit economics and protected territories. With no build-outs or inspections, your “hardest working employee” is ready to start collecting and recycling from day one—rain or shine.
Background
- Founded: 1986
- Franchising Since: November 2016
- Franchised Units: 87, with 20 additional units under development
- Company-Owned Units: 4
- Headquarters: South Florida.
- Founders & History: Founded by industry veterans who recognized the lack of convenient textile recycling options. In 2021, the brand received significant growth capital investment from Greybull Stewardship, further solidifying its infrastructure and national presence.
- Industry Category: Environmental Services / Recycling & Sustainability.
- States Registered In: All states except Hawaii
- Currently Not Offering Franchises In: Alaska, Hawaii, California, with limited availability in Texas and Florida
- Canada Franchises: No
- International Franchises: No
Support Training
Training and Corporate Support
- 8 Hours of Virtual Training
- Bin Placement Service - On-Site Training when Opening with the first 10 or 20 Bins
- On-Going Training
- Bin Location Services
- BLIP (Bin Location Information Program) Dashboard & App Training
Candidate Sales Process
- Initial Call/Webinar
- FDD Disclosure & Personal Profile Form (If not supplied by Broker/ Consultant)
- Executive Call
- Validation
- Finalize Financing Option
- Discovery Day
- Franchise Agreement Signing via DocuSign
Ideal Candidate
Function of the Owner/Daily Tasks
The owner can manage routes and monitor the fill levels of the Bins using the BLIP® software any time, any place as long as they have internet access!
Semi-Absentee with Part-Time Employees, or Owner-Operator
If someone would like to add more Bins to their territory, or run multiple territories, the business can ramp up to a full-time business
Ideal Candidate:
- People looking to add a franchise to their portfolio, people with 401k monies looking to use a portion to rollover and open a franchise, those not planning on leaving their day job, family business prospects, veterans, early retirees, those leaving Corporate America, franchisees from other systems
- Number, type of employees: Owner Operator, or plus 1 or 2 part-time employees
- Territorial protection: Protected by zip codes
- Protected Territory includes a minimum of 300+ qualified gas stations/convenience stores in areas with a median income of $35,000+, but is not limited to only these locations or types of locations.
- May also place at schools, religious organizations, shopping plazas and other types of locations with permission
Financial Detail
Estimated Total Investment: $161,940 to $216,980, including $20,000 to $40,000 in working capital
Required Liquid Capital: $125,000
Minimum Net Worth Requirement: $500,000
Franchise Fee Structure:
1st Franchise: $49,500
2nd Franchise: $39,500
3rd and Additional Franchises: $29,500
Royalty Fee: $6 per bin per week
Advertising Fee: N/A
Average Number of Employees: Owner-operator, or owner plus 1 to 2 part-time employees
Item 19 Available: Yes
Visa Candidates Accepted: No
Passive Ownership Model: Semi-absentee / part-time
Home-Based Operation: Yes
B2B Opportunity: Yes
Master Franchise Opportunities Available: No
Veteran Discount Offered: Yes, $5,000 available for active or retired military, veterans, and first responders