TrashBack, environmental fintech project

Goal

It seeks to make sure a greater portion of municipal solid waste (MSW) gets recycled and motivate people to be more environmentally friendly.

Problem

Separate collection and recycling of waste is a challenge for Russia, which generated about 7.75 bln tons of industrial waste [1] in 2019. One of the main tasks is to build a centralised system of separate waste collection and devise effective incentives for all involved in the waste management system. It is also necessary to improve people's environmental literacy and instil in them good habits from childhood.

MKB's contribution

In November 2020, MKB launched a joint promotion with Trashback, an environmental project seeking to increase the recycled portion of MSW and motivate people to be environmentally friendly. 

Trashback provides an app tracking non-food waste from the collection site to the sorting and recycling facilities, thus making the waste recycling system more credible. The app also allows users to buy barcoded garbage bags and get benefits, for example, when paying for utilities. The system has been operating since October 2019 in Reutov, Moscow Region.

Every MKB Bonus loyalty programme participant who buys barcoded garbage bags through the Trashback app using an MKB card gets back the purchase price minus one rouble in the form of MKB Bonus points (awarded in addition to any points earned under the basic conditions of the programme) within 20 days of the end of the month of purchase. As many as 3,000 points can be reimbursed per month. The promotion runs from 1 November 2020 up to 30 June 2021.

“The initiative is so far localised in the town of Reutov, but we believe that such experience will quickly be reproduced in other cities of Russia. This is a unique, unmatched technology in the field of separate waste collection. The project engages the community in a joint effort to solve the pressing issue of waste, motivating the townsfolk to adopt a new good habit, - commented Elena Finashina, head of MKB's Sustainable Development Division. – “We support the project because of our commitment to the sustainability principles and our focus on the cutting-edge responsible technologies.”

[1] according to FinExpertiza