About us
Trash4Goods is a gamified sustainability platform that rewards individuals for recycling, aiming to transform waste management into an engaging and rewarding experience. By connecting users with smart recycling bins and reverse vending machines, Trash4Goods incentivizes eco-friendly behaviors through a mobile app that tracks recycling activities and offers tangible rewards.
Our history
Trash4Goods began with a simple but powerful idea: what if waste had real, tangible value? We started as a university project, the initiative was born out of frustration with Portugal’s low recycling rates and a desire to engage people—especially younger generations—in sustainable behavior through technology and incentives.
From those early days, Trash4Goods has grown into a gamified sustainability platform with one clear mission: to give waste the value it deserves. The team realized that while people often want to recycle, they lack clear incentives or recognition for their actions. So we created a system where every bottle, can, or piece of e-waste can turn into a reward—from discounts at major brands to digital rewards and exclusive perks.
Along the way, Trash4Goods has evolved into a bridge between citizens, brands, and municipalities—empowering each to participate in the circular economy. What started as a class project is now a growing movement that transforms how we look at waste—not as a trash, but as a resource.
Our Vision
Recycling has become a responsibility, but not a rewarding experience. Today, there is little difference between those who recycle and those who don't. Most people receive no recognition, no feedback, and no incentive for making the right environmental choice.
As a result, valuable materials are lost, recycling rates remain below their potential, and brands, municipalities and waste operators struggle to engage citizens in creating a truly circular economy.
We believe that sustainable behaviour should create tangible value—for people, businesses and society.
We envision a future where every sustainable action is recognised, rewarded and measured.
A future where recycling is no longer driven solely by environmental responsibility, but by a system that creates value for everyone involved. Where citizens are actively engaged, brands understand the lifecycle of their products, municipalities achieve higher recycling rates, and data enables smarter decisions for a more circular world.
Our ambition is to become the incentive infrastructure that connects people, products and organisations, making sustainable behaviour the easiest—and most rewarding—choice every day.
The founding team
