Supporting ‘cooperate to recycle’ in Rio de Janeiro

Over three years, BVRio will support Coopama to implement an investment of $4 million Brazilian Reais to boost the coop’s operations, adding value to solid waste collection and disposal whilst benefiting waste workers.

September, 2023-August, 2026

Funders

Petrobras

Partners

Coopama

BVRio is supporting Coopama to implement the project ‘Cooperate to Recycle’ which involves expanding its operations by collecting recyclable materials at four Petrobras sites in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. The project aims to increase the cooperative’s production capacity, positively impact its members with increased income and new training programmes. In addition to the social impact, the aim is to dispose of the materials correctly, generating a positive environmental impact.

BVRio is providing strategic input to help the cooperative increase productivity through innovation in waste management and operations, including training courses and acquiring equipment to increase productivity and safety for the cooperative members.

The KOLEKT app will record the entire process which includes the collection, sorting and correct disposal of different types of solid waste, ensuring monitoring, tracking and transparency. This innovation can potentially increase the sale of environmental services and the co-operative’s additional income.

Technology

The KOLEKT app was used to register and monitor all collected materials for this project. KOLEKT uses images and GPS in order to verify the inputs of the cooperative.

KOLEKT creates traceability of waste along the whole supply chain and then maps all stakeholders involved in the process. It records data in a format that allows for more efficient monitoring, validation, verification and certification of waste recovery and recycling against recognised standards. Materials are registered in the app by weight, type and condition, and the date and place of collection is recorded along with photographs, so that actors in the whole collection and recycling chain can see the materials on offer, or requested, near them.