GREEN Waste Network for a sustainable development.

Waste management is problem globally, we have produced only this year 900 millions of tons and counting, and we are expecting to reach to3.4 billions by 2050 worldwide. even if Africa represents 10-20% of that amount, 90% of the total waste produced is mismanaged this increase emission and disaster risk which affect the poor disproportionately. 

Locally is difficult to provide stats about the amount of waste produced totally because there aren't little or not environmental continuous research.  The private and public sector are less or not implicated (...) Those factors are being also analyzed by some of our stakeholders in nearby countries and the result seems the same:

• Lack of awareness.
• Less implications for both private and public sector.
• Lack or none policies.
• Less support for entrepreneurs and innovators -financial and technically.
• Development: african countries are in this stage where economics and social growth seems most important.
• Expensive waste management Infrastructure.

Only 3 african countries occupies a place in 100 global environmental performance index -EPI-; development processes are giving Africans entrepreneurs and innovators the opportunity to build and propose environmental changes (according to conversation with actors in GABON), but the less implications of public sector also encourages the missunderstandin of the others. 

The lack of promotion of environmental research, which is rarely carried out by local organizations, also goes unnoticed. According to our conversations with other entrepreneurs in local countries, the development of environmental management processes and tangible results practically coincides with the beginning of their business activity; rarely, entrepreneurs are found with activity in the medical waste management sector and also very few universities promote programs related to waste management (neither medical nor any other type). 
Everything that is promoted at the educational level is theoretical and since there are few platforms for practical implementation, there is little motivation to develop environmental research processes.

By the way in Equatorial Guinea, the local government doesn't invest in environmental development and promotion, 90% of environmentals development programs are being developed by external experts and organizations, which although they consume local labor, it represents less than 20% and generally not experts. 

All those mentioned aspect are the same in nearly 80% african countries and the results are the one cited above.

Waste network offer the opportunity to enable an ecosystem where involved sector will exchange technical and financial support. The goal is to build a communication and action platform which among other things promote research processes and strategies, create facilities that helps replicates functional waste management models between similar communities. 

With this kind of ecosystem; experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, students and other actors can join together for building a resilience community of waste fighters actors.

The waste network is divided in two important sections:

1. Digital Platform: Our new era requires this type of communication(digital) this digital  platform will facilitate communicative process; in here we will be able to:
   1. ask and share for efficient and effective waste management and research.
   2. Offer direct support both technical and financially for those innovator implicated with waste activities.
   3. Identify applicable policies between similar communities which help engage youth and private sectors. 
   4. Enables strategies to introduce rare diseases in education
2. Open2Action programs: while the above section is mostly focused on communication and sharing experiences and strategies. This stage is directly centered on create a commitment through implicating local universities (creating scholarships programs, research funds). Is important to mention that we are already working on this section.

The Waste Network have the mission of reduce by zero the amount of unmanaged waste and contribute to research projects while also improving employability and sustainable circular economy.

We serve small communities, potentially local universities, entrepreneurs and innovators in the subregion. With local universities and vocational training centers we tend to offer training workshops on medical waste management to all students level. We have be doing direct research, and as our educational system is not very strong, we know that this kind of programs will offer an extra support and could help us to identify talents. In the same line we are trying to get keep them within our philosophy of resilient education for sustainable development contributions.

For entrepreneurs and innovators, we are on the way to create a solid network between environmental hubs and innovators in central africa region, this network is currently serving as an exchange program. 

Most of the target population are in small communities and our solution simply create communication, training, capacity building, workshop (...) this process create implications, help to find solutions and replicate them.

We have been building educational programs for environmental sustainability, eco tourism, art and transportation, organic waste solutions and currently working on the implementation of a medical waste management program for universities and medical training schools. We're recognized as on of the three greatest entrepreneur in innovation and sustainability with TotalEnergies startupper of the year program. 

We also serve our community with implementation of environmental programs in schools and institutions, support small rural communities creating  efficient programs which help the implications of those populations. 

Our country as many countries is part of those who submitted to: 

1. SDG promotions within the United Nations. 
2. We are also subscribed to 2063 African agenda which is focused on sustainable development, youth and woman empowerment, but also in environmental and united community. 
3. REDD++ community with an approach based on competitiveness, sustainability, integrated land management, food security, social and gender equity.

Some specific programs (called PNDES H2035): which promotes citizens  participations in sustainable environmental development but also for economic diversification and women empowerment. 

All this policies allow us to be able to replicate our projects and programs, since every country need to contribute to support a sustainable environment for all.

Parallel with each of our programs, we include a set of steps (as survey) which help detect and develop the next step, so every solution we implemented, include an analysis process both for data collection and for identify how will the program or project affect national and international agenda.

Horizon Prize represent a great opportunity to reach out many other innovators, entrepreneurs, experts which they will contribute to the pilot project at international scope; we also know than this kind of network for both support and research processes need lots of technical, legal and cultural abilities. Financial barriers are intrinsically added to all our processes, although we believe that technical and legal support for market entrance and stakeholders involvement are the pillars of this projects. 

Either for waste introductions within universities or for waste management improvement through a waste network we are seeking to overcome those barriers.

Our team lead is a social entrepreneur and has stated many educational businesses which the empower freelancing in educational while offering educative support for students in middle level and college. 

He stated the project (GREENLIVES.ORG) now organization, in the last year of the its universities career, when he was participating in an UN volunteer program for the recovery of an area affected by an explosion. His aim with the organization was to create resilients communities while promoting sustainable communities and cities, inclusion and all SDG goals. 

Even though he hasn't take fully education programs related to environmental themes. He's constantly finding ways to improve sustainability in small communities (such as being part of DHIS2 community and develop a social blog for environmental education). 

He has also founded hablemos!, a peer to peer and experience exchange between local young líders and entrepreneurs with youths.

A waste network is very important to have shared ecosystem for waste management and research. 

While many innovators, entrepreneurs and communities face waste management on their way and with their tools, there are also similar communities and many solutions can simply be replicated or some communities can be specialized in some types of waste within a mancommunity and share those waste between each other. This approach could help create effective and efficient waste management. In the other hand, there are also many communities which can not face waste due to lack of technical or financial support, the waste network involves all those facilities. The revolution of waste management also need research strategies, this strategy include promoting and introducing waste to as much universities as possible, build waste fellowships and scholarships for waste management research, this can be done only (through the waste management platform and in presence); in any of those cases we are making sure experts are getting in touch with young students and earlier professionals. This phase enable facilities to detect relationships between diseases and waste. 

The results will be a complete ecosystem dedicated to waste research and improve waste management through local and global collaboration.

By now, we are working on setting up the waste network infrastructure, 

Our aim for next year are to have been in contact with all waste management initiative locally and in nearby countries, such as Camerún and Gabon where we have some stakeholders and initiate the waste experience exchange. This waste experience exchange will soomly affect local universities and vocational medical training centers as part of our annual environmental education program in collaboration with some international initiatives which operate locally. 

Our plan goal for next five years include: 

• Create a network of innovators, experts, financial supporters(investors), entrepreneurs, governments and other interested actors.
• Enable an Open Source Digital Platform with as many toots as possible for waste management free education and support.
• Start and Improve research Program (Scholarship and Fellowship).
• Enable facilities to/for entrepreneurs and innovators.
• For local impact; by end of 5 years we are following zero unmanaged waste as a result of effective educational programs and involvement of all sector (private, public and professional).
• Having achieved relationships with environmental entrepreneurs and innovators all over África.

These are the main indicators we have been using:

• Number of participants in our programs
  • Female participation.
  • Youths participation. 
• Amount of Direct Stakeholders attracted for support a specific solution.
  • Public and Private
• Daily habits.

We one to know how many people we reached out in each program and how that affects their lifestyle, for this measure strategy we have developed a strategy of participating in GREENCHALLEGE where we ask things about past programs measure participants habits which will later determine the next action. 

The new progression analysis for indicators will be generated through our free greenblog(open to beta) for environmental education. 

We also measure youth involvement with environmental awareness. Giving them the opportunity to describe a problematic in their community.

The Global Waste Management Outlook promoted by the UN within their environmental organization (UNEP) has recognized that waste and resource management as a significant contributor to sustainable development and climate change mitigation, this outlook is primarily focused in sustainable solutions, including regulations policies, partnership and financing models in addition to that, they noted that by 2025 worldwide waste will rounds 3.4 billions tons with 23% of waste coming from Asia pacific and 6% from Africa, however the fastest growing region will triplicate their waste production. Additionally waste management is in constant growth,it size was crossed USD 423.4 billion in 2021 (was valued at USD 889.58 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period -2018-2030) and is poised to generate revenues of around USD 542.7 billion by the end of 2026, where africa, Latin america and Asia pacific the most will have a more significant growth. 

Composting and recycling are two high-priority areas for innovation and investment. The both activities reduce amount of waste in landfills and maximize the economic benefits, yet another difficulty is to figure out waste management initiatives and their problematic, we can't take actions with initiatives without knowing their existence. Locally there are around 12 waste management initiatives -including UN organizations (UNDP, UNEP, WHO, FAO) -60% of them are international companies with precedencies as Nigeria, USA and Cameron).

Related to medical waste management action; WHO said that only 30% of African countries met half of their 10 recommendations when talking to solid medical waste management; areas with appropriate use of color codes was 18% for labeling waste bins, 16% of off-site conveyance, PERIODIC TRAINING 18%. Many of the articles (around 90% of them) we may be able to find out for medical waste are primarily developed by external communities.

Speaking about environmental education terms Nordic countries are the most efficient waste management countries due to environmental education impact.

Some technologies needed are: 

• Big Data
  • Data analysis tools including data collection and analysis.
• GIS and Geospatial Technology
• Manufacturing Technology
• Software and Mobile Applications
• Behavioral Technology

In these solution we are working for full-time 3 people 

5 collaborators as part-time staff, 2 volunteers  as part-time staff and

2 mentors.

Our founder have been working on this solution for 2 years now. 

We are working on this solution as a team 1 year and a couple of months.

Inclusion and diversity are one of our main values. Our organization is a full 

With a social organization a revenue model is based on donations, grants, service contracts to governments, raising investment capital. We may also want to sale waste derivatives products.

Our business model will base on donations and grants in the short term.

In the long term we should be able a revenue model base on raising investment for innovators and entrepreneurs, service contracts to governments, direct selling services and products.

Some or all of the processes within the waste network involved serious and sustainable(financially) stakeholders; our approach here is to sale our programs to them to contribute mostly financially but with many other resources we may need to develop certain process/activity. The most stakeholders we attract to invest resources the more contributions we earn For instance, our Medical Waste Educational Program is about to start running, and we're in communication with local embassy and their grants programs. 

So far we have been sustainable financially by participating in fund, grants and investments programs. Here you can find some of them: 

• TotalEnergies Startupper of The Year (Equatorial Guinea -Best Female Entrepreneur)
• Bange Impulsa (National Bank Entrepreneurs Investment Programs) 

Add selling eco-product and developing environmental education programs through our website.