Frequently Asked Questions
The current recycling system is broken with only 2% of items in our recycling bins being closed-loop recycled.
In 2018, we dumped 26,970,000 tons of plastic in landfills and by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.
Lasso Loop is striving to change that, by creating an appliance and recycling system that provides 100% closed-loop recycling for inserted & accepted items right from your home! This will create the vital circular economy that our planet needs to become sustainable and thrive.
When we calculate the energy usage of Lasso in multiple households versus energy usage for mass processing of recyclables at a central facility, it's more than just looking at the energy usage of the machinery, it's looking at:
The Lasso produces more high cash-value end-products for closed-loop recycling (resulting in fewer items in the landfill), reduces handling and transportation steps by conducting processes in the Lasso itself, and does not have to support a facility staffed in a centralized location.
Even with an appliance in every home, Lasso will be substantially more energy-efficient than the current system (based on the total weight of closed-loop recycled product produced).
The appliance can go anywhere in your house that has both water + electricity hookup. In terms of power and water, Lasso requires nothing more than a dishwasher (even using less water).
We’re hearing that some folks with smaller kitchens will be putting their Lasso in the garage, next to their laundry machine, or out where their recycling bin currently sits.
To start with, our goal is for this revenue to cover the cost of your collection (making it free to you). We will not be offering monetary returns to you from your end-products to start, but as these materials are valuable resources, our goal within 5 years, is to return that value straight back to you.
As with other cutting-edge technologies (like Tesla, for example), these very first units will be small production, high-value. Our end goal is to have Lasso's in every household, accessible and affordable to everyone.
Read more in our blog post “How Much Will The Lasso Cost?”
Pre-Orders ship 18-24 months from today, with a 100% refund available until the day we confirm with you that the appliance is ready to be scheduled for delivery.
The Lasso is sold with an accompanying logistics system which we will have set up in your area by the time your appliance is shipped to you.
Your purchase of a Lasso covers both the appliance itself and the collection/processing of the materials it produces.
Think of it like purchasing an automobile. You’ve purchased a car but without buying into the transportation system (gas, plates, and insurance), your car will be sitting at home!
Lasso provides you with both ‘the car’ and ‘the gas’ giving you an appliance that processes your recyclable materials and a system that picks them up.
The curbside recycling system costs households between $4.2 and $5.9 billion annually, primarily in taxes. This is money that is being taken out of your annual income, on a system that has been broken for over 30 years.
Source: Recycling Partnership's 2020 State of Curbside Recycling Report
As Lasso is both an appliance and a recycling system, you are not responsible for finding remanufacturing facilities for this material. Instead, we pick up your Lasso materials when the storage compartment is full.
Due to the way Lasso breaks down recyclable materials, we predict you will only need to schedule pickups 3-8 times a year!
The first generation accepts the 7 most common household materials (that are recyclable): PET plastic, HDPE plastic, green glass, brown glass, clear glass, aluminum, and tin.
Yes! Our goal has been to design the Lasso so there will not be big updates for the incorporation of additional materials, but since we have not built out our first prototype to include materials outside the ‘core seven’, some appliance components might have to structurally change. Adding in something like #5 plastic (PP) will be relatively simple, but adding in paper/cardboard with a variety of different-sized boxes, will be a little more tricky.
Check out our blog to learn more about the materials Lasso accepts
