By Equipe de Redação
Posted in May 25, 2023
By 2030, we intend to recycle 50% of all waste in the city”, says Mayor Sarto (Photos: Tainá Cavalcante)
Fortaleza City Hall has entered into a partnership with Ambipar Triciclo, a subsidiary of the Brazilian multinational Ambipar Group, and iFood in an event held on Wednesday (05/24) at the Municipal Palace. Through this partnership, 13 recycling machines, called Retorna Machines, will be installed, allowing users to exchange waste for credits on the Bilhete Único (public transportation card), telecommunication operators, and various other partners. This initiative is part of the Mais Fortaleza (More Fortaleza) program, aiming to raise awareness among society regarding the benefits of waste recycling through a reverse logistics process.
“The user can exchange their points for credits on the Bilhete Único, as well as credits with partner companies such as Enel, PagBank, Mercado Pago, and telecommunications companies. This is a pilot project, but we want to expand this partnership with other companies. This is the path of a great journey that seeks to give the correct destination to solid waste in Fortaleza. By 2030, we aim to recycle 50% of all waste in the city,” says Mayor Sarto.
The project combines technology and innovation to promote environmental consciousness and a new behavior towards solid waste in the city. In total, there will be 13 machines located in terminals and recreational centers (Cucas) throughout the city. According to Luiz Alberto Sabóia, president of the Foundation for Science, Technology, and Innovation of Fortaleza (Citinova), this initiative helps stimulate the environmental awareness of the population.
“This project is a self-service machine for selective collection. For each of these items, it is possible to accumulate points that can be exchanged for a variety of things, including credits on the Bilhete Único. This initiative demonstrates, in practice, that waste has value. We will also register philanthropic institutions in Fortaleza that can receive the credits if the person wishes to donate this value. After being tested and approved, the project will be expanded to the entire city,” he explains.
The machines will be installed in seven terminals and five recreational centers (Cucas), and users will be able to donate the waste to accredited institutions or register through the Ambipar Triciclo website or app and accumulate points through the Triciclo de Fidelidade (Triciclo Loyalty) program. Each deposited waste item will be converted into “tricoins,” which are the program’s currency. These tricoins can be used, for example, to pay for public transportation fares in Fortaleza. The collection, transportation, and disposal of recyclables are the responsibility of Ambipar Triciclo through the machines.
Present at the launch were council members Nêga do Henrique Jorge, Josivan Clube, Veríssimo Freitas, Moura Taxista, and Iraguassu Filho, as well as Secretaries Davi Gomes (Youth), Marcelo Pinheiro (SEPOG), and Pedro França (Regional 3).
The recycling machines (Retorna Machines) are designed to collect aluminum, plastic, steel, long-life packaging, and glass. Users who wish to participate in the Triciclo Loyalty Program can create their Triciclo account in three ways:
During registration, users will needto provide their name, surname, email, and CPF (Brazilian national identification number). Based on this information, a username and password will be created for login. With the account, it is possible to accumulate points by depositing items with barcode labels. The barcode must be intact, and the packaging should not be crushed. It is not recommended to deposit dairy products.
The points can be exchanged at the recycling machine itself, through the Triciclo website, or through the app. When exchanging points for the Bilhete Único, the credit is deducted immediately.
If users do not wish to register but still want to contribute to the disposal of recyclables in the recycling machines, they can donate their points to partner philanthropic institutions through the machine itself or the Triciclo website.
The Mais Fortaleza program, created by the City Hall, has three pillars (infrastructure, social inclusion of waste pickers, and environmental education) and includes the installation of smart trash bins equipped with collection sensors, ecological islands for receiving recyclables, mini eco-points, new eco-points, biodigesters for recycling organic waste, video surveillance to monitor illegal dumping, itinerant eco-points, the establishment of new Technological Reconditioning Centers (CRT), environmental education in schools, and the expansion of Re-ciclo, which provides better remuneration and working conditions for waste pickers through the use of electric tricycles and protective equipment.
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