CATAKI

Swiping right on recycling.

Cataki is a social enterprise aiming to reduce environmental waste by connecting waste generators with waste recyclers and encouraging a circular economy. Via our app, we identify customers who want to recycle their waste and locate the nearest waste pickers to facilitate it.

Why?

Annually, Brazil discards over US$2.5 billion in recyclables, which end up in landfill. This is due to the fact that 86% of locals have no access to the public recycling system*. We are one of the only organizations in Brazil that works with autonomous waste pickers, providing easy access to sustainable waste collection for the everyday consumer. We’re empowering waste recyclers by increasing their income and potential to earn, reducing environmental waste by diverting recycled materials to the appropriate places and ultimately, working to preserve our planet. One waste picker can collect and recycle at least 1 tonne of paper per week, saving 22 trees, using 75% less energy and polluting the air 74% less than if it were to be produced new.

Funding would allow us to…

…create a new, more robust version of the app, where we can collect and measure data relating to all aspects of environmental and social impact. We would also seek financial sustainability by investing in traceability and gamification. Among civil society, corporations and the public sector, our goal is to connect 1 million people on the app worldwide. Today, over 1,400 waste collectors are connected in almost 300 Brazilian cities. More than 100,000 people have downloaded the app so far, making it clear that the demand for recycling services exists.

What’s your blend for success?

Success is a blend of people. Cataki is a shared platform connecting waster pickers with waste generators that encourages a shared effort to protect a shared world. I believe that a social entrepreneur can’t do anything by himself—he needs a blend of collaborators and supporters to achieve the impact he dreams of.

*The Brazil Business 2015