Zelus

Cascais is committed to sustainability and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To meet this goal, the municipality aims to improve textile waste management, a major contaminant in household waste streams. Using data-driven IT solutions, Cascais plans to educate citizens on textile waste impacts, boost local recycling, and foster collaboration among residents, organizations, and waste collectors. This initiative will generate continuous data to identify gaps, optimize processes, and support a circular economy. Public awareness events will further promote innovative recycling solutions, reinforcing Cascais’ leadership in sustainability.

The Zelus Solution is developed to help consumers change their habits around clothing by:

  1. Maximizing Use: Offering AI-driven, community-based suggestions to help users make better fashion choices, enjoy their clothes longer, and ensure purchases align with their style and value.
  2. Promoting Disposal Options: Providing guidance on where to donate, mend, upcycle, resell, or recycle unwanted garments.

To address Cascais’ textile waste challenge, we will enhance this solution by using gamification to inspire behavior change. Users will track and compare their habits with friends, the community, or role models, motivating them to improve while rewarding their efforts.

Zelus experimental plan is expected to be divided in 3 strands. 

Stakeholder Engagement

  • Citizen and Organization Involvement: Engage citizens and map local organizations managing textile waste.
  • App Workflow Design: Develop workflows for users, collectors, shops, and the municipality to monitor the process.
  • Services Mapping: Enrich the app with local textile recycling, donation, and mending points via maps, social media, and crowdsourcing.
  • Feature Enhancements: Expand app stats to cover all household textiles, community progress, and comparison widgets.
  • Localization: Translate app content into Portuguese.
  • Reward System Design: Create a rewards scheme for citizen efforts.
  • Bin Sensors Installation: Install sensors in 15 collection bins.
  • Municipal Platform Design: Build a dashboard for tracking KPIs and monitoring progress.
  • Workshops: Train stakeholders on the system and collect feedback.

Solution Development

  • Upgrade the mobile app and municipal platform with the necessary features.
  • Test and install sensors in collection bins.
  • Develop user roles for the app.
  • Regularly update information on maps, rewards, and features.

Solution Deployment and Evaluation

  • Complete sensor installation and calibration.
  • Deploy the full solution, monitor user behavior (privately), and refine collection strategies.

This initiative will empower citizens, improve textile waste management, and build a collaborative, sustainable future for Cascais.