Our Story

About FLIP

Building a fair, transparent marketplace that puts workers first.

Our Mission

150,000 Californians collect bottles for survival—walking miles through trash, earning poverty wages, with zero bargaining power. Meanwhile, 40% of bottles ($600M in value) never get redeemed because the system is broken.

FLIP fixes this by connecting collectors directly with bottle donors through technology. No middlemen. No exploitation. Just fair work and fair pay.

We're not just building an app—we're building worker power. A platform owned and governed by the people who use it. Democracy in action.

What We Stand For

Workers First

Every decision we make prioritizes collector welfare. If it doesn't benefit workers, we don't do it. Period.

Radical Transparency

All earnings, fees, and metrics are public. Workers see where every dollar goes. No hidden costs, no surprises.

Democratic Governance

Major platform decisions are voted on by the community. One person, one vote. Real democracy, not lip service.

Collective Power

We organize workers, not just for jobs but for rights. Collective bargaining, policy advocacy, community solidarity.

Environmental Justice

Fair wages and environmental sustainability go together. Proper recycling while supporting working people.

No Venture Capital

We reject VC funding that would force us to prioritize profits over people. Worker-funded, worker-owned, worker-controlled.

Our Commitments

Fair Compensation

Collectors earn the full CRV value of bottles collected. FLIP takes a minimal platform fee (5%) only from donor postings, never from collector earnings.

No Wage Theft

Real-time earnings tracking. Weekly direct deposits. Full transparency on all deductions. Your money, protected.

Safe Working Conditions

We advocate for proper safety equipment, reasonable workloads, and dignified treatment at redemption centers.

Freedom to Organize

Collectors can form groups, coordinate actions, and collectively bargain. We provide tools for organizing, not obstacles.

No Discrimination

Zero tolerance for discrimination based on race, immigration status, language, housing status, or any other factor.

Data Privacy

Your data belongs to you. We never sell collector data. Minimal collection, maximum privacy, full transparency.

Built by Workers, for Workers

FLIP was founded by former bottle collectors, labor organizers, and technologists who believe technology should serve workers, not replace them.

Our team includes people who've lived the reality of bottle collecting—walking miles through trash, dealing with exploitative recycling centers, earning poverty wages. We built FLIP because we know the problem firsthand.

Today, 60% of our staff are current or former collectors. We don't make decisions about workers without workers. That's the FLIP way.

Join the Movement

Whether you collect bottles or want to support those who do—join us.