How can blockchain be of help in a waste and recycling challenge?
Most Brazilian cities dispose of their waste in landfills with no sanitary control. Brazilian legislation, similar to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), states that brand owners like Nestlé are obliged to recycle at least 22% of the package materials that end up as waste. The route to compliance involves buying recycling certificates that represent investments in reverse logistics infrastructure. The market for these certificates is currently very informal and the working conditions of waste pickers that issue these certificates are unhealthy and dangerous. Brand owners don’t have any guarantees their investments will result in improvements.