Brandon Lin founded The ReCap Project to remove clean, single-use medical plastics from the waste stream. Over 3+ years, he grew the project from a student-led pilot to a collection network spanning 45+ clinics across 3 Bay Area health systems, recycling the plastic into useful new products for healthcare workers. 

Brandon’s goal is to change how healthcare views disposable plastic — not as waste, but as a resource that can be recovered and reused. The ReCap Project builds a circular system that engages clinics, transforms discarded material into new products, and inspires others to rethink waste and create solutions. 

Brandon has diverted more than 2,400 pounds — over one million pieces — of medical plastic from the waste stream, creating a scalable model that shows healthcare plastic can be recovered, recycled, and reused, while raising awareness among clinic staff about sustainability along the way. He also gives back by donating recycled plastic combs to Samaritan House for people in need, proving that sustainability can strengthen communities as well as the environment.