Do you have trash piling up at home and don't know how to solve the problem? One solution is to use the Cataki app, which allows users to contact recyclable material collectors to schedule collections directly at their address. After that, the app locates the collector closest to the user, and the two then negotiate the price for collecting the material, which is then taken to recycling locations such as cooperatives, voluntary drop-off points (PEVs), scrapyards and ecopoints.

The app was launched in 2017 by the NGO Pimp My Carroça, and aims to increase the income of collectors, as well as the recycling rate in Brazil. In addition to collecting recyclable materials, it is also possible to schedule services for removing debris and pruning waste, disposing of furniture and bulky objects, and small transportation services through the app.

Impact calculator shows the returns obtained from recycling

Last month, Cataki gained the function Impact Calculator, where the user can see how much he helped save through recycling in electrical energy, greenhouse gas emissions, water, landfill space and trees. The savings calculation is based on the materials most collected by waste pickers, such as cardboard and paper, plastic, glass, aluminum and other metals.

The actions of Cataki and the NGO Pimp My Carroça during the pandemic earned them a nomination for the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2020 in the “Humanitarian Aid” category, as one of the 10 main initiatives to combat Covid-19 in Brazil. According to a survey by Move Social, Cataki increases the income of collectors registered on the app by 64%.

Did you like the idea behind this app? Cataki is completely free and can be downloaded from Google Play for Android and on the App Store for iOS. The app already has more than 5 registered recyclable material collectors in more than a thousand cities in Brazil.

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