Technology development for waste management combining telemetry on eletric trucks, blockchain for rastreability and machine learning to support management decisions

Abstract

The current Brazilian situation of separation and disposal of recyclable waste is worrying. Research, for example Abrelpe 2019, indicates that only 10% of recyclable waste is actually recycled, resulting in 80,000 tons of recyclable waste disposed of in landfills daily, generating an immense waste of resources, harming the environment and wasting a potential of almost 20 billion of reais annually. In addition, the small parcel that is correctly destined has a serious quality problem (contaminated with organic material), according to 70% of the recyclers interviewed by VALORA. When people do not clean (removing organic material by cleaning with soap and water if necessary) and correctly disposing of waste, they generate low quality material for companies that will take advantage of these resources. The lack of information and transparency in the recycling process also causes dissatisfaction in 75% of the people who propose to separate their waste according to another survey carried out by Valora, generating discouragement in the correct disposal. By submitting to Innovative Research in Small Businesses - PIPE, VALORA intends to improve its interface technology with the waste generator and implement some strategic modules: development of communication protocols with different Hardware / Equipment; Telemetry of the collection system; Waste tracking using blockchain concepts; support in decision making and automation through machine learning concepts. For all these processes to have a harmonic interaction, it is necessary to develop a technology that can connect the waste generators, collection logistics and sorting center. Only through this technology will VALORA be able to implement a business model capable of addressing the needs of all stakeholders in the chain in an optimized, economically and financially sustainable way. Our project is divided into four stages: Step 0: set up of the strategic KPIs of the business; Step 1: development of the software / technology mentioned above; Step 2: Acquisition of collection equipment (electric truck) and scales; Step 3: integration and performance of hypothesis tests based on data collected in the field to adjust the system parameters. Therefore, FAPESP is requested to pay an amount of approximately R $ 300 thousand reais to carry out the research project to be presented. (AU)