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Pitch

An app that allows waste buyers to source specific waste directly from producers, giving you the ability to buy, sell and reuse all waste.


Description

Summary

Recyclebot is a blockchain-based waste management platform that allows any waste buyer to source specific waste directly from the producer, giving you the ability to buy, sell and reduce waste wherever you are, when you want. Unlike landfills, Recyclebot provides an affordable, fast and safe way to add value to all waste right where it is generated.

  • Big Opportunity: Resegmenting an existing $475B global waste management market as a disruptive and sustaining player
  • Strong Team: Deep market/technology/execution experience
  • Sustainable Technology Advantage: Proprietary waste management algorithm
  • Significant Traction: Working prototype/customer discovery/customer validation
  • Seeking $720,000 to launch the company and v1.0 application
  • SDGs:
    • Climate Action (#13)
    • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (#9)
    • Sustainable Cities and Communities (#11)
    • Responsible Consumption and Production (#12)
    • Good Health and Wellbeing (#3)


Proposals

How2Recycle: The next generation recycling label for packaging 

Transforming plastic garbage into plastic timbers to preserve forests. - Crowdsourcing and recycling post-consumer plastic waste from community based entrepreneurs: can use Recyclebot to reach new suppliers and access valuable waste they are currently unable to.

Clean cooking solutions and development of a climate change mitigation p...- Replacement of open fire stoves with improved cookstoves can reduce indoor air pollution & can cut the amount of GHG emissions significantly: can use Recyclebot to help consumers crowdsource biomass waste from local farms and transform it into sustainable energy products at negligible cost.

Cash for Trash: E-Waste Disposal and Management in China - Recovering used electronic and electrical appliances for safe disposal: can integrate Recyclebot to sell devices that have minor defects to repairers who could then resell the devices to low-income individuals for reuse within their community.

Using social media Facebook talking about climate change - Engaging consumers in climate action through social media: can be integrated with Recyclebot to accelerate adoption.

Youth Climate Leaders (YCL) - Reaching out to communities and advocating climate action around the world: can help deploy Recyclebot globally with local teams and focus.

 

 


What actions do you propose?

Currently in Zambia, like most developing economies in sub-Sahara Africa, more than 50% of the waste generated daily is left unattended and usually ends up in water drains causing perennial floods, damage to property, and the spread of ‘killer’ diseases such as malaria, cholera and typhoid.

  • The Zambian government has deployed the army to clamp down a cholera outbreak and clean up the capital city Lusaka, but, this setup isn’t ideal for every community in the country.
  • You cannot extract value from waste as there are no tools, data and support to recover valuable waste at source.
  • We are running out of landfill space very fast.

Recyclebot provides a mobile app on a decentralized global network as a simple tool for any consumer to extract maximum value from their waste over the Internet:

  • Sell any waste: Separate and post waste right where it is generated, and get discovered by buyers.
  • Crowdsource waste anywhere: Recyclebot automatically captures accurate GPS locations and aggregates the waste by type and location, connects waste buyers to waste sellers, and creates optimal transfer schedules and routes.
  • Reuse and reduce waste: Waste producers gain the ability to reuse and have their waste collected for free, while waste buyers can access valuable waste they are currently unable to access without paying for separation, transfer and storage.

Recyclebot is currently available on 9 different platforms and across multiple devices: Firefox, iOS Mobile Devices, iOS Tablets, Android Tablets, Android Mobile Devices, OS X, Windows, Linux, and Chrome. Subscribers can:

  • Use the All Waste view to post waste and see a complete list of separated waste on the platform, or browse through the By Type and Map views to navigate faster.
  • Use the menu button in the top left corner of the app to view a specific type of waste on the map and get directions or the search icon in the top right corner to search for a location, waste type, or contact directly.
  • Use the Phone and SMS buttons to call and text contacts or the location button to find a waste directly without closing the app.

Recyclebot charges users a $2.0 monthly subscription fee to sell or source any waste, but waste management companies pay a one-time development fee and a monthly premium for the custom application offering to crowdsource separated waste from end users.

The integrated proposals above look into the promotion of innovative climate adaptation and mitigation solutions; waste recycling and use in cities, all of which are integrated into a fully-distributed platform for waste management by Recyclebot.

Our white-label mobile app platform is simple, easy and cost effective enough for smaller businesses, scalable and robust enough for larger organizations. For businesses, the platform delivers a branded mobile app that provides convenient, captivating and interactive experiences for their end users. With Recyclebot, waste management companies can integrate their mobile web assets and business systems into their branded mobile app on all smartphone platforms in weeks. On an ongoing basis, they can use Recyclebot’s enterprise web portal to dynamically change and implement new mobile web functionality and use Recyclebot’s range of advanced mobile marketing, engagement and wallet tools to reach their customers:

Summary of Key Differentiations:

  • Support for a greater variety of waste including: mixed waste, metals (copper, aluminum and steel), different types of plastic, paper, wood, biomass, and electronic waste.
  • More waste capture and reporting tools
  • Wider choice of disposal features
  • Comprehensive user support
  • Fast implementation in minutes
  • Business can integrate all their mobile web assets to their branded app
  • Issue any kind of digital item (i.e. Mobile cards, Coupons, Offers, Tickets, Invoices/Statements) Over-The-Air (OTA) to a mobile app
  • Businesses can dynamically change mobile web functionality in real-time
  • Multiple brand support in a single mobile app
  • Business controls and tracks data/usage
  • Recyclebot ensures the ongoing technology platform changes are maintained
  • Highly scalable

Recyclebot’s mobile solution platform lets businesses engage with their consumers without the high cost and risk of developing and maintaining a custom mobile app.  Instead, businesses can focus on their mobile marketing and engagement strategies and Recyclebot provides the fast and easy technology infrastructure. With Recyclebot’s user-friendly mobile app platform, businesses can publish their mobile web assets in their own branded mobile app and access a wide range of advanced mobile engagement and wallet tools. 

Recyclebot’s mobile app platform is perfect for Community Based Entrepreneurs, Municipalities, Recyclers, Waste Disposal Firms, Manufacturers, Retailers, Transport and Haulage, Loyalty and Direct Marketers, the Card Industry, Payment Processors, Banks, Telcos, EMR, Travel and Entertainment, Utility companies and more.  For waste management companies looking for a more strategic way to evolve their business to mobile, Recyclebot offers the ideal mobile technology solution.

The developer and founder of Recyclebot has a 9-year track record of success in the software industry, having previously created a leading blockchain company from the ground up, delivering highly sophisticated, transaction based, POS, loyalty and payment solutions for the banking and payments industry.


Who will take these actions and which types of actors are involved?

Implementation of the project will be led by Recyclebot LLC, a waste management software company launched in 2018 with a vision to help communities around the world sustainably add value to their waste and maintain clean and safe environments to work, live and play. Recyclebot plans to work together, in collaboration with proposal authors as well as local key stakeholders who include:

  • Community Based Entrepreneurs
  • Municipalities
  • Waste Recyclers
  • Transporters
  • Waste-to-Energy Plants
  • Regional and local environment authorities
  • Power Utilities and Independent Power Producers
  • Bin Manufacturers
  • Solar OEMs
  • Payment providers
  • Telcos


Where will these actions be taken and how could they scale?

Recyclebot is best suited for communities and cities around the world where waste is usually left unattended or sent to landfills.

Our impact assessment methodology is used to validate and test the linkages from our activities (inputs) through to our outputs, outcomes and impact.

  • Input/Activity: Recyclebot registers an individual, a household or business, and provides a decentralized waste management application as a service.
  • Output: A sustainable and profitable waste management system is developed; jobs are created; reused and recycled.
  • Outcome: Cities and communities are cleaned; incomes are increased for waste collectors and recyclers.
  • Impact: Municipal solid waste management service levels are increased, and waste is reduced, with multiple benefits; improved livelihoods, health, nutrition and education.

We measure and test the scope of our impacts and share “lessons learned” to inform future development and investment decisions.

MARKETING & SALES

Acquiring customers:

  • Online marketing inc. SEM, SEO, SMM, daily deals
  • Refer-a-friend discounts for consumers
  • Volume/loyalty discounts for consumers and waste managers
  • Incentive program for HR and office managers

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Keeping customers:

  • Dedicated customer service representatives for each DMA
  • RecycleBOT staffed community message board for consumer (public) and waste managers (login required)

 

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Staying competitive:

  • Consumer Product Advisory Board to drive consumer features
  • Waste Management Product Advisory Board to drive waste manager features
  • Add digital wallet and cryptocurrency payments


In addition, specify the countries where these actions will be taken.

Zambia


Country 2

Tanzania


Country 3

South Africa


Country 4

Nigeria


Country 5

Kenya


Impact/Benefits:


What impact will these actions have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?

The global waste management market grew from $402B in 2010 to $475B in 2015. In Lusaka, Zambia an estimated 1 million tons of waste is generated annually. According to the City’s Waste Management Unit (WMU), 40% is collected and sent to landfills where less than 5% of that waste is recovered. Currently, none of the waste managers contracted by the Municipality are exploiting the internet to reach customers. In a recent poll, 100% of waste managers indicated the inability of customers to separate waste at source as the major barrier to them selling to recycling companies and waste-to-energy plants. A fully-distributed peer-to-peer waste management system would remove this barrier, recover up to 350,000 tons of recyclable waste and permit an estimated $72 million dollars in additional transactions to occur annually in Lusaka alone.


What are the most innovative aspects and main strengths of this approach?

Recyclebot’s competitive advantage over competitors is twofold:

  • Ease-of-Integration: Anyone, regardless of their literacy levels, can use Recyclebot’s simple app tools to quickly sell and crowdsource valuable waste right where it is produced, allowing it to address markets not served by municipalities and entrench itself in the market.
  • Distributed Waste Management: Recyclebot’s peer-to-peer waste management system allows it to divert valuable waste from landfills at very low cost, minimizing the overall cost of managing waste and its impact on the environment versus traditional waste managers.


Costs/Challenges:


What are the proposal’s projected costs?

Recyclebot is currently seeking $720,000 seed funding. These funds will be used to finance customer validation; to test the initial company and product positioning with earlyvangelists and other early customers by using it to sell in 2018Q1, and customer creation; to finalize positioning and launch the company and v1.0 app and; begin to ramp up all the standard marketing communications activities in 2018Q2.  At the conclusion of these activities, the company expects to in a position to transition from its informal, learning and discovery-oriented Customer Development team into formal departments with VPs of Engineering, Sales/Marketing and Business Development in 2018Q3.

  • Bootstrapped by founder through MVP and first 6 months
  • Seeking $720,000 Seed Funding:
    • Convertible equity
    • Target close by EOQ3 2018

So we can:

  • Reach 1.5M users and $3.6M in sales
  • Scale infrastructure
  • Scale customer service (waste managers)
  • Scale/refine marketing/customer acquisition


About the Authors

Chifungu Samazaka is a designer, developer and entrepreneur who is based in Lusaka, Zambia. He began his career in 2008 and has founded or developed 3 tech startups. Chifungu's companies include BITKwacha, a blockchain banking payments provider started in a rural village; a transactive smart micro-grid developer owner and operator (Utilicom Energy Systems) and a waste management dApp (Recyclebot). He is passionate about technology and how it could improve people’s lives in the developing world, especially in Africa.


References

Recyclebot - How It Works: https://vimeo.com/250745061 

Aljazeera (2018) Zambia deploys army to fight cholera: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/Zambia-deploys-army-to-fight-cholera-outbreak-171230190812235.html

BBC Africa (2018):  'Mass demolition' of Zambian vendors' stalls. http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-42461213

Reuters (2018): Zambia declares curfew in Lusaka slum struck by cholera. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zambia-cholera/zambia-declares-curfew-in-lusaka-slum-struck-by-cholera-idUSKBN1EW0MZ

Zambia Daily Mail (2017) Where does Lusaka waste go?: https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/where-does-lusaka-waste-go/


What enabling environment would be required in order to implement this proposal?

Policies: Recyclebot is dependent on some sensors in the devices, which means most compatible devices are still not affordable for most low-income individuals. But, thanks to a continued decrease in internet costs and China’s manufacturing output, more and more people are getting on the internet via low-cost smartphones. We plan to work with governments to craft policies that remove restrictions and taxes on devices and components that could make Recyclebot available for more people and accelerate adoption.

Incentives: Recyclebot is also dependent on the availability of mobile data networks which are regulated and monitored by governments, meaning access to the service can be denied at any moment by the government. To mitigate against this risk, we are building a fully-distributed peer-to-peer application that is autonomous, immutable and transparent. However, we need existing policies aimed at increasing connectivity and accelerating the drive towards sustainable communities and cities to be enhanced and extensively promoted, for example, providing internet access for all and compelling consumers to hand in all waste, regardless of whether or not they contain toxic substances, at a municipal or commercial collection point so that they can be disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner.

Investments: The lack of useful data on markets is a huge challenge when sizing the opportunity to support investment decisions. Recyclebot has done a bottom-up analysis of the opportunity in Lusaka only. Making realistic, long-term projections on a global scale is even harder. Increased access to vital information such as government spending and revenues from waste management could make all the difference. Additionally, there are very few (if any) high-net individuals/angels or organizations in Zambia who are particularly catering for the financing needs of tech start-ups like Recyclebot. Encouraging and funding local tech hubs and meetups where founders can learn new skills and create synergies could have a huge impact on the success of Recyclebot and that of many other startups in the waste management space who would be looking to leverage our technology within their communities.