By Fredric Tesfay and Karla Hernández
Fortaleza is considered a leading Brazilian city in creating sustainable solutions for mobility, waste collecting and improving recycling services. Back in 2020 Fortaleza, CAF & TUMI first joined hands to undertake a pilot project to assist waste collectors (catadores) improve their livelihood. Now we have teamed up again to take it to the next level. We will now use the power of data and digital tools to support the city of Fortaleza in their goal to reach 50% Share of Recycling by 2030!
With our last project, the deployed electric tricycles are still running and the demand for more is on the rise. The trained catadores are now safely riding the tricycles and keep them maintained and ensure proper charging cycles. During this pilot we further dove into the details with the associations to be able to plan the collection routes better, cover more neighborhoods and improve their quality of life.
On our last field trip to Fortaleza, however, we dared ourselves to rethink how BIG DATA could be put to use, allowing to truly improve the logistics behind a digital circular economy in Fortaleza with mobility data, taking as starting point the waste collecting cycle.
RECICLO Tricycles © GIZ
We had a fruitful workshop with many actors within the city but also external stakeholders who have an influence to create a framework. We will set up digital processes for data collection to improve mobility logistics which will inform us on rethinking routes, optimizing waste collection, and assuring a safe and formal income to an otherwise quite informal activity (waste collecting).
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- Estimated revenue from improved waste collection with e-tricycles. © GIZ
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- At the workshops with local partners and stakeholders. © GIZ
We visited the ecopoints and recycling depot associations with whom we will meet and received fruitful insights on the opportunities and challenges in this industry.
Data is key to transformation the logistics of waste collecting. We will use data to understand the collection process, with the vision of collectors, citizens and the municipality use the new knowledge and processes. This will lead to better decisions and in turn help save our environment
Fredric Tesfay, TUMI Data Project Manager
“Catadora” at the warehouse in Fortaleza © GIZ
Stay tuned and witness the shift to a more sustainable future in Fortaleza!
Read about the e-mobility pilot experience supported by TUM Initiative, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and with the support of the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), here