We are sometimes well-intentioned, but get a little bit lost on how to adopt a more responsible approach regarding our consumption and disposal options – and how our daily options impact other people and the environment. With that in mind, some applications have been built aimed to help answering questions about recycling and connecting professionals, cooperatives or companies dedicated to such activity; moreover, they provide important data on how to save natural resources and adopt sustainable habits.

Cataki

In Cataki, it is possible to register an individual or a cooperative. In the presentation, Cataki points out that there are 800,000 workers in selective waste collection in Brazil, but only 300 of them are registered. In order to broaden the network, all you need is to register the collector who circulates in your street, neighborhood or district. The app can be downloaded for free.

If you want to dispose of any recyclable material or waste, all you need is to use the app to find the nearest collectors from the collection spot. The organization work is open, on a collaborative basis and nonprofitable. If you want to help as a volunteer, you can contact the founders.

Plastic Recycling

The app developed by Movimento Plástico Transforma (Plastic Transforms Movement), supported by Braskem, can be used in tablets or smartphones, either by recyclable material collectors or by citizens who need to discard materials. The platform is able to show 1,936 delivery spots in 61 cities and towns across 20 states in Brazil. The website also offers content on educational and interactive campaigns, encourages innovation, recycling and environmental responsibility for conscious consuming. 

Intellibins

This initiative was particularly developed to help New York citizens find incentives for recycling, reuse and donation. The app maps the city and shows where it is possible to take not only plastic, glass and paper, but also clothes and electronic devices. The technology allows to find the nearest spot from you and is compatible with Android and iOS. Overall, there are over 1,500 recycling spots and 21 types of different materials.

Rota da Reciclagem (Recycling Route)

This campaign is promoted by Tetra Pak and it’s available for iOS and Android. The app didactically shows how anyone who is interested can participate in the process of sorting and delivery of long-life cartons for recycling. In addition, it informs where collectors’ cooperatives, businesses that buy recyclable materials and delivery spots are located.

Etiquette Guide – Sustainable Planet

Only available for the iOS system, the app is free and brings information on how to simply change some habits and to reduce the environmental impact we make every day. Inside the Guide, you can find tips on behavior aimed at social sustainability and responsible use of power. It is bilingual (Portuguese and English), and the platform gathers 50 practices divided by topic: use of water, electrical energy, citizenship, recycling and consumption, sorted by level of effort and by impact size on our daily lives.

Litterati

International, this app proposes that people take a pic of the waste they find (bottles, cigarette stubs, paper and others). Thus, they should enter keywords, tag time and location (geotag) where the waste was found. The map is able to show the type of waste that is built up and its location, indicating specific actions to be taken in order to avoid the problem. An example of this solution took place in a Californian school, when the map showed that the most commonly found waste in the schoolyard were the canteen disposable straw wrappers. The school then decided to stop providing this item to students.

Content published in October 3, 2018