Cameroon - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

WasteWise - Where convenience meets cleanliness, is the soluion for the middleClass home to get rid of the garbage piled up in the garbage bin by using technology to solve the problem of inconsistency and unknown schedules of waste management services.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

WasteWise is a garbage collection business leveraging technology to solve the problem of inconsistency, unknown schedules and coverage of the existing waste management companies. Unlike the traditional big companies using large garbage trucks, we will leverage the small tricycles locally known as "Keke" to access the areas where the trucks can't reach. Being in a digital age, the project plans on using a mobile application to track garbage pickup requests, collection status and share schedules with users, this will solve the problem of uncertainty of schedule we currently face. It is not meant to compete with large companies, rather it will fill up the loopholes by ensuring that garbage left behind in homes that cannot be accessed, or could not be around when pickup was done, are collected and disposed accordingly.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Trash is an inevitable aspect in homes and the companies currently in charge of garbage collection are inconsistent in their collection process. This causes garbage clutter in homes, which irritates inhabitants with the smells and discomfort that comes with it. Also people don't know when the garbage trucks will pass or if it will reach their location making it difficult to program their disposal.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

This service will provide the following value to the users: 1. Announcement of pickup schedule(day and time) and garbage collection on-demand service 2. Great customer service, through communcation channels like whatsapp and the mobile application. 3. Garbage collection in areas where the large trucks cannot access with our tricycle option 4. An overall cleaner environment, resulting from consisitent collection.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

The project aims at serving the middle class homes located in areas where trash trucks don't visit, or are seldom home when collection is being done and who can afford to pay a monthly fee for pickup

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-04-01

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

2

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

0

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

The first partner partner is an environmental engineer with 05 years of experience in waste management, quality and valorisation in the waste management sector in Cameroon. He has mastery of waste collection zones as well as the challenges faced in waste collection planning, and disposal. The second partner is a software engineer with 3+ years of software mobile app development.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

Other: Digitalisation and Hygiene

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

5

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

This is an opportunity to create employment for youths in sectors like driving, waste collection, resource management, software development. This indirectly reduces the poverty rate since they will be able to provide for themselves

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

6

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

Living in a less pollutated environment promotes good health and well being. If trash is regularly collected and disposed properly, these reduces careless dumping into farms which results in non-biodegradable materials polluting our soils and infecting our food items. Also, waste disposed in water is one of the main contributors to cholera in under developed countries as well as dicomposed waste along riverbanks that produces leachet which finds itself in water consumed by the community. If we properly dispose of this trash, we promote a cleaner air and healther food being harvested, which in turn results in a healthier population

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

3

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

When waste is dumped by river banks, it decomposes and releases a black liquid called leachate. This leachate then leaks into the river, contaminating the water. In an underdeveloped country like ours, we have a lot of low/no income earners who cannot afford potable water, so they tend to consume water from these sources. Contaminating the water in this way, greatly increases their chances of having cholera and other water-borne diseases. Having waste disposed in proper places will reduce these problems a great deal.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

3

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

5

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

A business like this will provide employment for the uneducated, or minority within the communities who have been unable to get employment from traditional structures. A tricycle driver for example needs just a minimal training of road safety to be able to manoevre the tricycle, and collect garbage. This will not only help them deliver value with the work they do, but also to limit the illegal activities that they would have potentially gotten into.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

6

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

Leveling up the waste collection industry with technology by providing an app which allows users to notify when they have garbage for collection will be a great addition to the industry. This will create awareness of the possibilities of other solutions that could be developed within the industry as well as other industries that have not had the digital transformation penetrate them.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

3

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

5

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

We suffer a lot from air pollution around us when waste is not collected in a timely manner, because all the waste gets dumped in gutters around the streets, on the roadside, in farms or even outside homes. You also find huge heaps of waste in marketsquares, occupying one side of the road. Not only does the smell make it uncomfortable to live in the area, the road blockages also make it unsafe during high traffic periods because just a portion of the road can be used for circulation. When these waste materials are dumped on the roads, the water from them destroys the roads and those that end up in gutters, tend to block the drainage systems. If waste collection is structured especially in these areas where it is seldom collected, it will reduce uneccessary dumping and in turn create a safe and sustainable city for us all.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

3

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

5

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

When waste is dumped by river banks, it decomposes and releases a black liquid called leachate. This leachate then leaks into the river, contaminating the water. the river flows and joins other larger water bodies which in turn gets contaminated, causing sea creatures and plans to ingest toxins, which can either kill them or get consumed by humans as well who can get infected. By collecting these wastes frequently from homes, it will prevent them going to dispose of it by river sides.

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

3

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

5

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.08 Justification

There is already a good number of users using the private waste collection services, but none exists with a structured customer service and an application to follow-up on waste pickup. Using technology in the waste collection sector will be the first of its kind in the Cameroon context. People have seen delivery tracking, apps, taxi tracking apps, but they are yet to experience waste collection app accompanying tricycles. It is going to be an improvement to the existing service because, they are currently inconsistent and not very organized in terms of waste collection schedule which we aim to solve. While the digital side is a novelty, the physical collection side is a resegmentation of the waste trucks sector and an improvement of the small door-to-door business with our tricycle usage as compared to the use of wheelbarrows

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

The main competitors I have now are small private waste collection businesses who offer door-to-door service. What makes my idea different is that, not only do I have a customer service and a means for direct communication, there will also be scheduled pickup of trash and pickUp on-demand. Also, the system will go digital with its own app for pickup tracking, follow-up, planning, and requests. My plan also offers incentives to users who can separate their trash, keep trash neatly and also refer to new communities. There is also the garbage trucks which are not necessarily a competition, but an alternative to them in areas of low penetration and access, and at the end all the waste will be transported by them from their pickup points to the landfill.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

no