Wasteapp – You need to look for a destination to your rubbish

Currently, due to the pandemic, we are seeing a change in our daily habits. There was a significant 50% increase in take-away orders. On the other hand, we have been forced to use masks in our day-to-day lives for our protection and safeguard, despite the fact that most people do not have information about the protection levels of reusable alternatives and how to reuse them properly, or in the case of using disposables, how to dispose of them.

If we think about the environmental impact that this “new normal” has introduced in our lives, there are few reliable reports on the production processes of disposable masks or the effects of incorrect referrals, such as abandonment on public roads, or disposal in the natural environment (forests or beaches).

Our life and the way we face adversity, such as protection against COVID -19, have an “invisible” effect. We often classify this process as indirect impacts, but exist and are felt on the Planet, either by the consumption of resources or by the production of waste.

This “new normal” has been managed using mostly the use of digital media, increasing the use of computers and other equipment, which promote communication, whether for work or leisure purposes, which has been reflected in the numbers of purchases of this type of equipment.

At the same time, with online purchases and take-away, the production of disposable packaging is a worrying reality, reversing all the trends of the pre-pandemic period, and which has resulted in the consecutive growth in the production of packaging waste, often not passable. to recycle, or that due to lack of knowledge, are not sent to the yellow ecopoint.

This pandemic second phase also determined new periods of confinement, in which the population will inevitably stay at home more longer. Why not take advantage of these moments to make a survey of the residues that “live” in our homes for years, materials that we have not used and for which we will not be of future use? Do you know taht each family accumulates an average of 11 electrical equipment at home that it no longer uses, according to a recent study by the United Nations?

This time we dedicate is precious time for the Planet! What is wasteful for some may be useful for others. Let us remember that these materials had an indirect impact in their origin, with the consumption of resources and the production of “invisible waste”. They deserve our respect and the search for new answers, which may include repair and reuse solutions, such as recycling.

This is where the Campaign promoted by Quercus for the European Week for the Prevention of Waste comes in – “Wasteapp – You need to look for a destination to your rubbish”. Through the digital platform Wasteapp, an application that presents an answer to the various types of waste produced in our homes, through the indication of the nearest places for its reuse and recycling.

In an easy and quick way, the user can find the nearest place to deliver the waste, with the exception of ecopoints, such as appliances and other damaged equipment, used clothes, or even the waste produced within the scope of individual protection against COVID -19. It also responds to packaging waste by teaching which ecopoints the waste should be placed in.

The application was designed to be simple, to work on any platform (computer, android system and IOS) and thus be able to reach the most varied audience and meeting the difficulties of different users.

The application contains a response to the destination of about 40 different types of waste, integrates information on the offer of city councils and ecocenters and has a total of around 10,000 loaded locations. The data are collected through partnerships with entities that manage waste streams, contact with