Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Enhanced Inventory Management for Scalable Reuse Systems at Bold Reuse
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC25C0020Title: Enhanced Inventory Management for Scalable Reuse Systems at Bold Reuse
Investigators: Bilbaeno, Anton
Small Business: Bold Reuse
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: December 16, 2024 through June 15, 2025
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2025) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
Each year, an estimated 40 billion single-use foodware and drinkware items, including both plastic and compostable products, are discarded in the U.S., contributing to millions of tons of municipal solid waste and placing a significant burden on landfills, commercial composting, and recycling systems.
Traditional inventory management systems are built for linear workflows—where products enter, are sold, and exit the system permanently. These systems do not reflect the circular nature of reuse logistics, where items cycle through repeated use, collection, washing, and redistribution. Linear systems lack the logic, data structures, and tracking capabilities needed to manage reusable assets across multiple life cycles. Rather than retrofitting linear tools, we demonstrated the value and technical feasibility of a system architecture that reflects the realities of reuse, including stages such as inventory return, inventory processing (wash & restock), product loss, client-specific asset pools, and forecasting potential based on usage and attrition. The project supports the EPA’s source reduction goals by addressing upstream waste generation and laying the groundwork for technology that can decrease plastic pollution, reduce embodied carbon, and mitigate the environmental impact of disposable packaging.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Over six months, the project delivered a functional prototype capable of dynamically tracking reusable inventory across multiple wash hubs and client sites. Phase I validated core system capabilities: automated inventory tracking through key wash hub stages (receipt, wash, restock), and logistics workflows including order picking, delivery, and pickup. Real operational data flows confirmed that the system could reliably update inventory states with minimal manual reconciliation. The database and architecture were designed to be flexible and extensible, supporting multi-client operations and multi-wash facility support. Internal testing and customer feedback shaped iterative improvements to usability and functionality.
Commercialization Outlook
The Phase I prototype establishes the technical foundation for a SaaS solution tailored to reuse logistics providers, municipalities, schools, and foodservice enterprises. Such a platform can reduce manual labor, enhance inventory planning, and accelerate the adoption of reusable packaging programs. Phase II will focus on scaling the system for real-world deployment, piloting with external partners, enhancing forecasting accuracy, and developing stakeholder-specific interfaces. Commercialization will emphasize a licensing model targeting franchised and independent wash hubs, facilitating distributed circular reuse infrastructure nationally.
Conclusions:
This Phase I SBIR project addressed EPA Topic 4B: “Technologies that will improve U.S. source reduction or reuse systems by reducing municipal waste.” Specifically, our project demonstrated proof-of-concept for a circular Inventory Management System (cIMS) tailored to the unique operational needs of circular reuse systems for foodware and drinkware.
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.