Trash collectors in Africa earn crypto to support families with ReFi

“We are cleaning the environment, because without us, the city will be too dirty,” explains Jane Mago, a waste picker from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Her words underscore the environmental challenges bedeviling much of Africa—from polluted oceans and the menace of plastic bottles to poorly managed waste. These issues are not just local but reflect a bigger, global crisis.

In a world where the devastating effects of climate change and pollution are being witnessed on a regular basis, cleaning up the planet is no longer an option but a responsibility we owe to ourselves and future generations.

But what if caring for the planet didn’t just feel good or seem like the right thing to do, but also had the potential to support yourself or your family?

In response to this, innovative projects are emerging across the African continent, mixing blockchain technology and regenerative finance (ReFi) to incentivise environmental restoration by making it into a profitable activity.

Along Kenya’s coastline, plastic pollution poses a severe threat to marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Similarly, in Tanzania, rivers and lakes are choked by plastic waste, industrial discharge, and agricultural runoff, exacerbating water scarcity and threatening biodiversity.  

Early stage projects like Aquapurge in Kenya and Chatafisha in Tanzania enable everyday people to earn income while tackling these environmental issues.

Aquapurge: Kenya’s blockchain powered beach cleanups

Aquapurge, led by founder Ibrahim Aziz, is tackling Kenya’s ocean pollution crisis with crypto. It incentivizes community-driven cleanup efforts through its PURGE token ecosystem.  

Individuals who participate in beach and ocean cleanup activities earn rewards that can be exchanged for cash or used in eco-friendly markets. 

“This project is more than just cleaning beaches,” Aziz  shared. “It’s about giving the community a platform to contribute to the environment while securing a stable income.”  

Real results: 5400 kilograms of waste remove via crypto incentives

The main app for the project has only just launched. The concept was tested out in October 2023, during the Mvureni Beach Cleanup in Diani, when participants, including members of DYBC (Diani Youth Beach Community), were rewarded in USDC for their efforts. In total, 23 clean up events have since been held, collecting more than 5,400 kilograms of waste including an ocean cleanup in Kilifi.

Organizations like DYBC, Baha Madzo CBO, and Wasini Waste Free receive Verifiable Impact Reports (VIR) which help them showcase measurable cleanup results, secure funding, and expand their efforts in creating cleaner, sustainable coastlines.

The Aquapurge initiative has a broader impact on coastal communities by directly engaging local fishermen, small business owners, and other community members in regular cleanup activities. These cleanups involve removing plastic waste, abandoned and rotting fishing gear, and other pollutants from the beaches and waterways. The idea behind involving the community is to create a tangible sense of collective responsibility for  environment preservation.

As a result, the improved marine ecosystem benefits the livelihoods of those who rely on fishing by increasing fish populations, reducing damage to fishing equipment, and ensuring healthier waters.

Chatafisha: Meet the Tanzanian waste collectors earning crypto to support their families

In Tanzania, Chatafisha, co-founded by David Machuche, tackles water pollution by transforming waste into value. Using blockchain tech, Chatafisha has created a circular economy that incentivizes waste collection and recycling.  

Chatafisha operates in Dar es Salaam, where water pollution is a major concern. The project focuses on cleaning the Msimbazi River and other water sources by encouraging local waste pickers to collect plastic waste. The collected waste is then recycled, generating revenue that is reinvested into the community. Chatafisha tracks the waste collection process via blockchain, and rewards participants with tokens, which ensures the transparency of the entire operation.  

Mago’s story

Jane Mago, a 35-year-old waste picker in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania joined Chatafisha six months ago. Armed with minimal resources, Mago started collecting plastic waste from the Msimbazi River. For every kilogram of waste she collected, Chatafisha rewarded her with stablecoin-backed tokens which she converted into local currency. Up to one in five people is unemployed in the region, making work difficult to come by.

Machuche says that analysis of her daily offsets shows Mago’s monthly income has risen by 50%, enabling her to improve her standard of living which he says “was a struggle with her previous recyclers despite working with them for years ” 

Mago says she is finally earning enough to get by.

“Chatafisha has helped me earn a living and pay school fees for my children,” Mago said. “I never thought picking up waste could actually feed me.”

Other workers shared similar stories in a video about Chatafisha’s partnership with litter token. 

Happiness Kilenyi, also from Dar es Salaam, also picks up plastic bottles for a job.

“You can reach on someone’s house gate to pick up trash and some may assume you’re a thief or a drug addict. But like when they see I am carrying my child, they are ready to help me take their plastic waste.”

Chatafisha has also created opportunities for youth in Dar es Salaam, offering training programs that teach them how to collect and recycle waste.

Regen Foundation, an organization that works with communities to co-create systems to reward ecological regeneration, posted in early December:

“In our latest pilot, @ Chatafisha Dao puts waste collectors in TZ at the helm of their environmental impact story. Through decentralized tech and community governance,they validate each other’s work, control their data and get rewarded for their contributions” says.

As of 2022, Informal Sector Survey reported that Temeke Municipal Council had the highest unemployment rate in Dar es Salaam at 19.8%, followed by Kigamboni (17.8%) and Kinondoni (17.0%). Youth in Dar es Salaam are more than six times (13%) more likely to be unemployed than their rural counterparts (2%), indicating significant urban-rural disparities in employment opportunities.

Projects such as Chatafisha are providing the youth with the tools and knowledge to turn waste into resources thereby creating economic opportunities for young people who would otherwise be unemployed.

Overcoming hurdles: Scaling blockchain environmental projects in Africa

Despite their success, these initiatives face challenges, including limited awareness about blockchain technology in Africa and the initial costs of setting up infrastructure. Both Aquapurge and Chatafisha are actively working to overcome these hurdles by partnering with NGOs, corporate sponsors, and local governments.

Building trust in blockchain technology, especially among communities with little to no prior exposure, remains a key challenge. However, the success stories like Jane Mago demonstrate that once people see the tangible benefits, they are more likely to embrace the technology.  

Both projects are also working to expand their impact by reaching new communities and scaling their operations to other parts of Africa. This expansion requires ongoing funding, technical support, and community engagement, which are all integral to the long-term sustainability of the projects.  

How smart contracts and tokens are revolutionizing environmental cleanup

Both of these projects use blockchain technology to track the clean up process, and tokens to reward participants. 

Ibrahim Aziz says that blockchain ensures transparency and trust in Aquapurge’s clean up efforts and the token distributions. 

“Every kilogram of waste collected is recorded and verified on the ledger, making it easier to reward contributors and attract partners who want verifiable impact.”

Also read: South Africa’s digital-nomad crypto hub: Cape Town, Crypto City Guide

Part of the idea is to create incentives for environmental action and then get outside companies to help fund it. The community can track how much plastic has been removed from the environment using blockchain-backed reports, which can then hopefully be used to attract investors, such as corporations looking to offset their carbon footprint through environmental initiatives.

Apart from paying people to clean up the environment, Aquapurge also employs a Report-to-Earn model, where community members document pollution hotspots and log them into the system, with verified reports earning participants tokens. The project also generates revenue through the sale of recyclable plastics and accredited plastic credits, ensuring long-term sustainability. 

Selling certificates to corporations

David Machuche emphasized the role of blockchain in scaling Chatafisha’s operations. “Blockchain allows us to tokenize impact in a way that’s transparent and scalable. 

By using blockchain-based Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) tools, Chatafisha ensures that every action is recorded and rewarded fairly, says David Machuche. “The data we collect from waste pickers is converted into Impact Certificates, which are sold to corporations meeting ESG goals. This generates revenue that’s reinvested into the community,” he says. 

Chatafisha has attracted partnerships with local and multinational companies focused on reducing their carbon footprints by investing in waste reduction and recycling efforts. Notably, Chatafisha has partnered with Preyo, a leading recycling company, to enhance its waste management processes. Additionally, it collaborates with Regen Network, utilizing their impact and peer validation system to unlock ecological credits—an innovative mechanism that allows for the pre-financing of environmental conservation by “borrowing” resources against a future date when the ecological “debt” will be repaid. This marks a significant step towards incentivizing sustainable practices.

Smart contracts allow the automatic distribution of rewards and ensure that the agreed-upon terms are met by all participants. This transparency has helped the project earn the trust of corporate sponsors, local governments, and waste collectors including Jukumu NGO, 6regionTz NGO, the local governments of Mbezi Beach and Mburahati in Dar es Salaam, and Litter Token.  It has also partnered with the University of Dar es Salaam to offset 5 tonnes of verified waste.

The Role of blockchain in Regenerative Finance  

Blockchain plays a critical role in these projects, offering transparency, accountability, and scalability. Key applications include:  

Tokenized Incentives

Both Aquapurge and Chatafisha leverage token-based rewards to encourage participation in environmental restoration. Tokens can be exchanged for cash, staked for additional rewards, or used in eco-friendly marketplaces. 

Decentralized Governance

Organizations such Aquapurge and Chatafisha are allowing community members and token holders to have a say in funding decisions through the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure. This ensures local priorities are addressed while maintaining transparency. By allowing stakeholders to make decisions about how funds are allocated, blockchain creates a system where the community has agency over their environmental efforts.  

Verifiable Impact

Blockchain enables the creation of Verifiable Impact Reports (VIRs), ensuring stakeholders can track and validate the progress of cleanup efforts. This builds trust among investors, corporations, and local communities.

Financial Inclusion

Blockchain also helps increase financial inclusion by providing access to digital currencies and stablecoins for people who may not have traditional bank accounts.

This article first appeared at Cointelegraph.com News