Launched in 2018, Wastezon is on a mission to leverage high technology to redefine urban mining. We combine materials science and data science to build traceability infrastructures ranging from materiality provenance detection to valorization potential detection. Such data allows Manufacturers and recyclers to make effective decisions on secondary raw materials they can acquire back from the value chain, their reusability, and repurposing potentials. Besides traceability, we provide matchmaking manufacturers with consumers that possess such secondary raw materials and automate reverse logistics for the acquired materials.

We have so far assisted over 3000 East-African-based household and institutional consumers who have transacted over 1680 tons of electronic, electrical, and metallurgical waste materials with over 80 local and international manufacturers and recyclers. Such materials diverted from going to landfill and reused represent an equivalent of more than 25146.89 metric tons of avoided carbon emissions. With such acquired materials, we assisted each manufacturer to save at least 20% less energy than is required to make the product from new materials. Wastezon is active in the electronics, electrical, and metallurgy industries with a plan to extend our material traceability infrastructures to other manufacturing sectors.