Why One Habitat?

One Habitat Foundation is a registered 501.c3 non-profit organization focused on providing waste management logistics services to developing communities rich and poor. Our mission is to end environmental pollution using, science, technology, and education. We operate our organization as a business selling software as a service.



Funding underserved communities

Our for-profit partner One Habitat Technologies is focused on the development of Polltuion Monitoring for fSmart Cities. OneHabitat.tech assists the development of impoverished communities by donating profits directly to the foundation as a means of supporting communities that can not currently afford the services or infrastructure.

Q & A

How does the One Habitat simplify reverse logistics for consumers and businesses to enable the reuse or recycling of product packaging?

The One Habitat Logistics Platform makes it easy for businesses to purchase recyclable materials directly from a community's waste stream. This is accomplished by transferring a percentage of these sales to homeowners in the form of incentives and rewards for sorting their waste. The platform also empowers municipalities to issue fines for unsorted waste, which in turn strengthens the incentives to sort waste at its source. The collection of these sorted recyclables is accomplished by paying local transporters a fair wage to collect specific materials and deliver them to the appropriate location. Reuse of packaging is accomplished using the RFID packaging platform at Learn more at OneHabitat.tech

What waste products does your technology solution target?

The One Habitat Platform currently targets all household products except for hazardous chemicals. We hope to offer hazardous waste and medical waste collection services as our revenue increases.

What technology does One Habitat use to overcome basic barriers to adoption?

One of the most challenging hurdles a product or service must overcome is apathy. Our next biggest barrier is affordability, specifically because we are targeting developing communities with low income. To overcome these barriers, One Habitat Foundation is currently working directly with municipalities. Our Business-to-Government business model makes it much easier for us to get community members to adopt the technology. However, we do not strictly rely on this business strategy as we also provide independent drivers the tools to start their own businesses. We help these independent drivers market their services directly to residents and businesses. How we are working with the local governments: The Trash Route Platform provides the publicly funded garbage collection service freemium software tools that can be used on a mobile device or desktop computer. These tools address key pain points for the municipality and provides the tools needed to increase revenue through fines. This helps us distribute the application to community members and increases awareness about changing waste management policies. Why working with the local government helps increase adoption: Working with the local government reduces our marketing and distribution cost because the existing garbage collectors distribute flyers and issue fines that prompt the local community to download the application.

What happens when there is no publicly funded garbage collection service?

If there currently is not, a garbage collection service run by the government we try to establish one by working with the local government agencies. If that is not possible then we first try to find existing service providers and if necessary hire new drivers to distribute information about the sorting service so that these entrepreneurs can start their own businesses.

How do we make it affordable?

We have projected that residents would need to pay a minimum of $1.45 per pick up for the private drivers to make a fair wage. This number could be reduced with increased availability of electric or compressed air collection vehicles.

How do we address apathy?

Fines and rewards help reduce the pervasiveness of apathetic attitudes.

How will your solution be easy and convenient for your customers to use?

Consumers are able to request pickups and file complaints using simple smart phone application. Municipalities are able to track driver activities with a simple web interface and smart phone application. The municipalities and garbage collectors are able to issue fines for large items and unsorted waste.

What is the current process a customer goes through to dispose of product packaging. Why is your solution better?

In many countries the current process involves dumping waste into ecosystems or burning it in a 50 gallon drum. Capturing the waste stream and processing it properly reduces the release of many poisonous gases as well as greenhouse gases. For example, organic waste left to rot releases methane and burning waste releases poisonous dioxins, acidic gases, and heavy metals. Reducing the amount of waste incinerated is our goal and in order to do this, we will be marketing materials to recyclers and organizations that can process or utilize these resources.

Who are your solution's target customers, and where are they located?

In our first phase of development our target customers include municipalities, residents, business owners, and recyclers in Mexico as well as the Philippines. Once we complete our initial launch phase, we will be marketing to the contacts I acquired at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. I am in contact with the president of the EPA in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the mayoral committee in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Why would customers use your solution?

During our initial field testing, we found that in many cases the drivers had no oversight which resulted in drivers only working 3 to 4 hours per day. As a result, the garbage collectors are only able to visit homes once a month in some parts of town. This is a big pain point for residents because dogs get into the trash bins and make a mess. The government also wants to reduce the burning of trash because it causes many health issues. Trash Route provides a better system for managing the waste by reducing costs, increasing efficiency and introducing material recycling opportunities.

What key resources do you need to further develop and implement or distribute your solution?

Funding for R&D, travel and staff.

Who are your potential competitors?

We have identified Rubicon Global as our closest competitor with respect to features offered. However they currently do not serve low income communities and the developing world. Companies that may become competition include Waste Management, Republic Waste Services, Binners.com, gotrashy.com, Nordsense. They currently target developed communities and are not providing the same services that we provide.

What is unique about your value proposition?

We have the advantage of being a registered non-profit 501.c3 public charity which reduces our drive for short term profits and increases our desire to solve problems.

Are there any barriers to your solution entering the market?

In some regions internet access is limited, slow, and expensive.

How will your solution scale?

Our business model scales very quickly and easily because it is a software as a service. We simply need to translate the applications into the native language in order to move into new countries. We have broken our database into shards so that we can cost effectively deliver data by country and region.

What are the short-term and long-term intended market and environmental impacts of your solution?

    Short Term:
  • Empower environmental clean ups Establish sorting programs in 500 communities by 2022
  • Establish organic waste recycling in 150 communities by 2022

    • Long Term:
  • Help communities capture 99% of household waste by 2030
  • Deliver 90% of household waste to recycling facilities by 2030
  • Reduce the cost of using recycled materials by 80%
  • Stop environmental pollution generated by household, business, and medical waste streams.

What is your solution's biggest weakness, or what aspect of your design are you most concerned about?

I am most concerned about our ability to find waste management and recycling facilities near some towns. In some cases we may need to work with other agencies to address this issue.

What is your solution’s biggest strength, or what are you most excited about with regard to your solution?

The Trash Route Logistics Platform scales very easily and can create jobs for hundreds of thousands of people. It has the ability to change the dialogue surrounding waste, create entrepreneurial opportunities and increase the quality of life people have in countries all around the world.

Scientific Methods



Why field work is Important to us.

By going out into the field we are able to identify problems by talking with locals about what their biggest pain points are. This face to face interaction provides us with valuable insights. You can watch a mini documentary of the field work we did in Puerto San Carlos.



Pollution Analysis

We utilize the cutting edge technology to analyze dumpsites and the impact they have on ecosystems surrounding your community. We are also able to inspect the habitats surrounding your community and help you identify illegal dumping activities. Through out this analysis we identify hazardous materials and can even provide communities the tools to mobilize cleanup efforts.



Mobilizing Cleanups

Mobilizing cleanups was a part of the first project we undertook at One Habitat Foundation. Hiring locals to participate in the cleanup efforts helps start the dialog about the problems these communities are facing.




Research Driven

Our solutions are based not only on field research but also scientific literature review. We are constantly reviewing the state of the industry and have compiled a list of news articles and publications as a reference.

Interested in our latest research.







Research Catalog
Academic papers and News Articles

South Korea

Italy

Denmark

Sweden

Mexico

Mexico using US model: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0734242X91900529

MANAGEMENT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN MEXICO https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292326943_MANAGEMENT_OF_MUNICIPAL_SOLID_WASTE_IN_MEXICO

Waste Management in Mexico - July 2018 https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/3634796/waste-management-in-mexico

GENERATION AND DISPOSITION OF MSW IN MEXICO AND POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING WASTE MANAGEMENT IN TOLUCA MUNICIPALITY http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/velasco_thesis.pdf

Sustainability Assessment of Waste Management System for Mexico City https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/3/3/45/pdf

Waste Management in Mexico - RePub, Erasmus University Repository https://repub.eur.nl/pub/8039/Whole%20document.pdf

Municipal Solid Waste Management in a Municipality of Chiapas, Mexico https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0037/f58cef5c69fade538b91e0940ef7a913a6a1.pdf

Urban solid waste generation and disposal in Mexico: a ... - CiteSeerX citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.819.6292&rep=rep1…

Solid Waste Management and Social Inclusion of Waste Pickers ... https://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/files/2014/11/Social-Inclusion-Working-Paper.pdf

Global capacity, potentials and trends of solid waste research and ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28750594

Solid waste characterisation study in the Guadalajara Metropolitan ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11954727

Electronic Waste in Mexico – Challenges for Sustainable Management ... https://www.intechopen.com/...waste.../electronic-waste-in-mexico-challenges-for-sust…

Environmental Assessment of Alternatives for Biowaste Treatment in ...
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2019.00030/full

Current status of waste management in Botswana: A mini-review ...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0734242X18772097

Urban solid waste generation and disposal in Mexico: a case study ...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0734242X0101900208

ENVIRONMENT-MEXICO: Drowning in Garbage | Inter Press Service
www.ipsnews.net/2009/09/environment-mexico-drowning-in-garbage/

2016 Sustainability Report - Waste Management
https://www.wm.com/sustainability/pdfs/2016SustainabilityReport_WM.pdf

Mexico's Massive 24 Billion Dollar Recycling Opportunity | HuffPost
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mexicos-massive-24-billio_b_11730898

Impact of Trash Burning on Air Quality in Mexico City | Environmental ...
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es203954r

Solid Waste Management Plan - New Mexico Environment Department
https://www.env.nm.gov/swb/documents/SolidWasteManagementPlan.pdf

Solid waste management in Mexico's offshore platform construction ...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11066-016-9105-3

Evaluation and Proposed Development of the Municipal Solid Waste ...
https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/jrul/item/?pid=uk-ac-man-scw:267611

National Vision Zero Waste: Government looks into sustainable trash ...
https://aztecreports.com/national-vision-zero-waste...looks...management.../2449/

What a Waste: An Updated Look into the Future of Solid Waste ...
https://www.worldbank.org/.../what-a-waste-an-updated-look-into-the-future-of-solid-...

Waste Policy Forum | U.S.-Mexico Border 2020 Program | US EPA
https://www.epa.gov/border2020/waste-policy-forum

Philippines

Food waste: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2018/10/18/food-waste-postharvest-losses-where-millions-remain-hungry/

Solid Waste analysis 2017: https://www.senate.gov.ph/publications/SEPO/AAG_Philippine%20Solid%20Wastes_Nov2017.pdf

https://www.academia.edu/8737670/Review_of_the_waste_management_system_in_the_Philippines

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18991942

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327177428_Solid_Waste_Management_Awareness_Attitude_and_Practices_in_a_Philippine_Catholic_Higher_Education_Institution

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242343111_Efficiency_Evaluation_of_Philippines_Waste_Management_Sector_A_Two_Stage_Approach

Manilla: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0734242X10386638

https://en.apu.ac.jp/rcaps/uploads/fckeditor/publications/journal/RJAPS_V24_Atienza.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878029616301190

https://pub.iges.or.jp/pub/decentralized-solid-waste-management

Cebu: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319502638_Village-Level_Solid_Waste_Management_in_Lahug_Cebu_City_Philippines

Calabarzon: https://www.academia.edu/32945196/Solid_Waste_Management_Practices_of_Select_State_Universities_in_CALABARZON_Philippines

http://www.apjmr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/APJMR-2017.5.1.01.pdf

Masbate State College: https://www.academia.edu/12118122/Solid_Waste_Management_Practices_and_Initiatives_of_DEBESMSCAT_Masbate_State_College_

Governance: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cf47/f619c46998570d9b7d54d23f6b1591baa367.pdf

Solid Waste 2011: https://www.iswa.org/uploads/tx_iswaknowledgebase/05_Waste_Management.pdf

Marawi, Islamic city: http://www.ijesd.org/papers/268-CD0082.pdf

Philippines Survey 2018: https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.5022922

Solid Waste Management on Small Islands: Malapascua Island Philippines as a Case Study
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/00x770kv

E-waste Philippines: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.662.6663&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Recyclables Collection Trends and Best Practices in the Philippines: http://www.eria.org/uploads/media/Research-Project-Report/RPR_FY2009_10_Chapter_3.pdf

India

(PDF) Recent Scenario of Solid Waste Management in India https://www.researchgate.net/.../319979041_Recent_Scenario_of_Solid_Waste_Manage…

(PDF) MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA a review https://www.researchgate.net/.../260230170_MUNICIPAL_SOLID_WASTE_MANA…

Challenges and opportunities associated with waste management in ... https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.160764

Sustainable Solid Waste Management in India - Columbia Engineering http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/Sustainable%20Solid%20Waste%20Management%20in%20India_Final.pdf

Working Paper No. 356 Solid Waste Management in India An ... - ICRIER https://icrier.org/pdf/Working_Paper_356.pdf

Student Research: Municipal Solid Waste Management in India | MIT ... https://dusp.mit.edu/cdd/news/student-research-municipal-solid-waste-management-india

Integrated solid waste management in Urban India: A critical ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0038012196000122

Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management in India: A Policy ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878029616301530

The Crisis of Waste Management in India - UNU - Institute for ... https://flores.unu.edu/en/news/news/the-crisis-of-waste-management-in-india.html

How Can India's Waste Problem See a Systemic Change? | Economic ... https://www.epw.in/.../institutional-framework-implementing-solid-waste-management…

India $14 Bn Waste to Energy and Waste Management Market to 2025 https://globenewswire.com/.../India-14-Bn-Waste-to-Energy-and-Waste-Management-...

Integrated Waste Management in India - Status and Future Prospects ... https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319272269

Biomedical waste management in India: Critical appraisal Datta P ... https://doi.org/10.4103/JLP.JLP_89_17

perspectives of solid waste management in india - CiteSeerX citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.493.1311&rep=rep1… http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.493.1311&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Chintan Publications - Research and Reports - Chintan Environmental ... www.chintan-india.org/publications_research_reports.htm

effective urban waste management solutions in India - Branded Short ... https://go.ey.com/2JiAhmj

Problems of Solid Waste Management in Indian Cities - International ... www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0313/ijsrp-p15129.pdf

Solid Waste Management in India: An Assessment of Resource ... https://think-asia.org/handle/11540/8143

Municipal solid waste management in Indian cities - A review ... europepmc.org/abstract/med/17433664

Plastic Waste Control in India—Is it Really Happening? - RaboResearch https://research.rabobank.com/far/en/sectors/fa.../plastic-waste-control-in-india.html

Spain

Spain: More than 70% of electronic waste management is uncontrolled https://phys.org/news/2012-09-spain-electronic-uncontrolled.html

Waste Problem and Management in Insular and Isolated Systems ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212667814001051

An exploration into municipal waste charges for environmental ... https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0734242X17727067

(PDF) Waste Problem and Management in Insular and Isolated ... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266148455_Waste_Problem_and_Management_in_Insular_and_Isolated_Systems_Case_Study_in_the_Canary_Islands_Spain

Evolution of the electronic waste management system in Spain ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/283na6_en.pdf

Waste Problem and Management in Insular and ... - CyberLeninka https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/568090.pdf

Municipal waste management in remote areas of Spain: islands and ... http://pavethewayste.eu/uploads/201607/Hidalgo_municipal_waste_mgmt_remote_areas_Spain.pdf

Innovative Waste Management Practices in Remote Areas https://waset.org/publications/10007334/innovative-waste-management-practices-in-remote-areas

Solutions to Marine Pollution in Canary Islands' Ports - MDPI https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/8/2/59/htm

Canary Islands - MDPI https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/11/3198/pdf

Study on the Solid Waste Properties and Disposal Methods of Island at ... https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/252/4/042028/pdf

The impact of tourism on municipal solid waste generation: the case of ... https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-impact-of-tourism-on-municipal-solid-waste-the-Mateu-Sbert-Ricci-Cabello/523cfd4698b58c48b257a5cd51d863dd83980a7d

Argentina

Argentina: Best Solutions for Recycling and Managing of Solid Waste https://www.worldbank.org/.../argentina-urban-solid-waste-management-best-practices

Data on Waste management and recycling in Argentina - Investing ... iab.worldbank.org › Data › Argentina

Waste Management System Assessment in the North of Argentina https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b745/105587f79a7cf2c87b790ba7248691e943e3.pdf

Emerging Issues in Solid Waste Management in Argentina - Publications https://publications.iadb.org/.../Emerging%20Issues%20in%20Solid%20Waste%20Ma…

(PDF) Policies to improve Municipal Solid Waste Management on ... https://www.researchgate.net/.../260435071_Policies_to_improve_Municipal_Solid_Was…

municipal solid waste management services in latin america www.world-psi.org/sites/default/.../research/web_en_lrgm_waste_report_ia_20174.pd... http://www.world-psi.org/sites/default/files/documents/research/web_en_lrgm_waste_report_ia_20174.pdf

Argentina: EIB to support sustainable infrastructure projects in Buenos ... https://www.eib.org/.../2018-313-eib-to-support-sustainable-infrastructure-projects-in-...

Assessment of a Recycling System - The City of Buenos Aires - DiVA www.diva-portal.se/smash/get/diva2:952834/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Cities100: Buenos Aires - Changing Food Waste Attitudes and ... - C40 https://www.c40.org/case_studies/cities100-buenos-aires-changing-food-waste-attitudes-and-behavior

Buenos Aires (in)formal waste pickers' cooperatives: a new ... - LabGov https://labgov.city/theurbanmedialab/how-to-govern-informal-waste-managementa-response-to-the-commons-dilemma/

Global


COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF A WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT FOR MONTEVIDEO; AND WASTE TO ENERGY IN SMALL ISLANDS http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/Rodriguez_thesis.pdf

2012 World Bank waste review: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/302341468126264791/pdf/68135-REVISED-What-a-Waste-2012-Final-updated.pdf

Global Waste management in the worlds cities UN https://thecitywasteproject.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/solid_waste_management_in_the_worlds-cities.pdf

UN EP - Global Waste Management Outlook Note: Waste Management Financing: https://www.uncclearn.org/sites/default/files/inventory/unep23092015.pdf

Impact of food waste: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0956053X18301740?token=3CE8E9431A910E71CBBB01249062B1E1DE5EB0191AB4926481585E7BB690A086D848921AA5B2153F51813E77AA7BA7E3

Medical Waste: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X18305403

Health Impacts in Brazil: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X1830535X

Fluorescent Lamps: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X18305373

Mexico using US model: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0734242X91900529

Triangle of death in illegal dumping: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344663/

Material and energy recovery: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21482096

Loss to metals in incineration: https://books.google.com/books?id=34WS8zVdyGkC&pg=PA570&lpg=PA570&dq=waste+management+in+milan+research+paper&source=bl&ots=22R3J1PJPk&sig=ACfU3U2VqkKv4s1uIMVKnUaGIO6znr3MFg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjE7_O9i6fjAhVGpZ4KHaGkAAg4ChDoATAOegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=waste%20management%20in%20milan%20research%20paper&f=false

Amounts of compost from municipal waste solids: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/de5d/a052dc78b9ba39e30e684fc2632543592a70.pdf?_ga=2.244397185.501457018.1562649680-1531063214.1562649680

Business Projections in the US: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/05/30/1859576/0/en/1-7-Bn-Opportunity-Assessment-of-Waste-Management-in-US-Cities-by-Waste-Management-Outlook-Key-Initiatives-and-Cities.html

Asian Perspectives on WM: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.533.2785&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Most downloaded waste management articles: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/waste-management/most-downloaded-articles

Tourism Waste Management in the European Union - Scientific ... https://file.scirp.org/pdf/AJCC_2015121614493325.pdf

https://seabinproject.com/


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