Digital opportunities for waste management in emerging and developing countries AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON Digital progress is particularly important in regions of the world where established waste management and regular residential waste pickup services are still lacking. This might be our only chance to implement extended producer responsibility. Sponsored by the UK government, the 2021 Digital Dividens in Plastic Recycling analysis found that 60 percent of the 63 digital applications examined in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia serve the overarching purpose of connecting waste-producing private homes and businesses with waste collectors and recyclers – in most cases through an app.34 Trash removal at the touch of a button In many places, apps follow a principle similar to the solution offered by Nigerian provider Pakam Technology: An app instructs waste producers to sort and pack their recyclable waste at home or at work according to predefined categories, for example, plastics, cardboard, diapers, aluminum, multilayers, glass, or oil before they order a waste collector to pick up their waste at the touch of a button and enter in the types and quantities of trash in the app.35 To make the business viable for waste collectors, the garbage to be collected must often meet minimum volume requirements. Veca, a Vietnamese company that connects waste collectors and buyers through an app, only accepts pick-up orders of at least five kilograms. Waste producers are charged a fee for lesser quantities, which is intended to serve as a surcharge for collectors to cover travel costs and time.36 Duitin, a similarly designed platform operated by the Indonesian waste disposal company PT. Tjatra Yasa Indonesia, stipulates a minimum weight of three kilograms.37 After sending a pick-up request, the app automatically alerts waste collectors, although it might take one to two days for the trash to actually be picked up.38 Pakam in Nigeria pays waste sellers digitally39 for their work, while Veca in Vietnam also offers an optional cash payment, with prices to be achieved for the different types of waste being listed transparently in the app and regularly updated in line with market developments.40 Duitin uses a digital currency as payment. Depending on the type and quantity of waste, waste producers can earn so-called Duitin coins or Duition points, a type of loyalty point. The virtual coins or points can then be used to purchase digital products directly through the app.41 34 Wilson et al. (2021), p. 28 35 Pakam (n. d.) 36 Veca (n. d.) 37 Duitin (n. d.) (3) 38 Veca (n. d.) 39 Pakam (n. d.) 40 Veca (n.d.) 41 Duitin (n. d.) (4) Source: Pakam Pakam-App 35
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