Wentworth Alumni Launch Scrapp: A New Era in Recycling Tech
Revolutionizing Recycling: How Two Wentworth Grads Are Tackling Contamination with Scrapp
When Thomas Evangelista and John Scarfo first met in a Calculus I classroom at Wentworth Institute of Technology, they had no idea their shared passion for technology and entrepreneurship would lead them to co-found a global sustainability tech company. Today, as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer of Scrapp, they’re addressing one of recycling’s most persistent problems: contamination.
The Classroom Connection That Sparked Innovation
Their journey began with a simple class project in Computer Science II, where they discovered not only their complementary skills but also their shared drive to build something meaningful. “We stuck together for the rest of our time at Wentworth,” Evangelista recalls. This partnership would prove crucial as they navigated overloaded semesters, added minors in Applied Math and Entrepreneurship, and essentially trained themselves in startup culture before even graduating.
From Idea to Impact: The Birth of Scrapp
The original concept for Scrapp came from the University of New Hampshire, where a team had developed an idea for self-sorting recycling bins. However, they lacked the technical expertise to bring it to life. Through a high school connection, they reached out to Scarfo, who immediately brought Evangelista into the conversation.
The problem they aimed to solve was clear: recycling contamination. When non-recyclables enter the recycling stream, it creates a cascade of issues including higher processing costs, increased waste, and recyclable materials ending up in landfills. Their initial goal was to create a free educational tool, but as they engaged with brands, municipalities, and waste management professionals, they realized they needed to rebuild the core system entirely.
Building a Global Solution
“There is no single piece of feedback alone that changed the direction,” Evangelista explains. “But the biggest decision we made was our commitment to ensuring our system was geographical enough to support localized guidance, yet granular enough to classify items from across the globe into one system.”
This meant Scrapp couldn’t just tell users if something was recyclable in general terms—it needed to provide specific, location-based guidance that worked at scale. The platform has since evolved to include real-time translation, municipal bin-day reminders, and expanded administrative tools for clients.
Wentworth’s Role in Startup Success
Both founders credit Wentworth with providing the practical foundation they needed. For Scarfo, a database course with Professor Hongsheng Wu sparked his interest in SQL and data, leading to valuable co-op experiences at Eagle Investment Systems and Eaton Vance. “Wentworth gave me the tools to find an avenue and work with it,” he says. “I was never the best at coding, but when it came to databases and data, I excelled.”
Evangelista found Wentworth’s flexibility equally valuable. While studying abroad in Germany, he and Scarfo pitched an independent study to learn mobile development through Dart and Flutter, essentially building their own course. This experience directly translated to their work at Scrapp, where they had to read documentation, build MVPs, iterate, and ship products.
Advice for Current Students
Their master’s degrees in Project Management became crucial as Scrapp evolved into a fully remote, global company spanning five time zones. “Starting is hard,” Evangelista admits. “But when I’m in a group and we’re all working toward something together, it can be so much more exciting.”
Their advice to current Wentworth students is straightforward: “Find people from classes you work well with, and then work on it together.” This collaborative approach, they believe, is essential for tackling complex problems and building successful ventures.
The Future of Recycling Technology
As Scrapp continues to grow, the team is focused on making recycling and disposal information more useful for both individual users and organizations. Their work represents a new approach to an age-old problem, proving that with the right combination of technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and collaborative mindset, even the most persistent environmental challenges can be addressed.
For Evangelista and Scarfo, what started as a classroom connection has become a mission to transform how the world thinks about and handles waste. Their story demonstrates that sometimes the most impactful innovations come not from corporate boardrooms, but from the connections and collaborations formed in university classrooms.
