Waste Watchers
By Aideen Murphy
April 2023
Brazil is the fourth-largest producer of plastic waste in the world, generating over 11.4 million tons each year. More than 97 percent of this waste ends up in nature, a dump site, or a sanitary landfill. Only 3 percent is reused or recycled. And 325,000 tons of it finds its way into the ocean, crippling the country’s coastline.
Musa Founders Martin Junck and Fabrício Guimarães could see the impending environmental and logistical chaos in São Paulo. With dump sites and sanitary landfills being pushed to their limits and unable to expand due to regulatory crackdowns, they knew it was time to fundamentally change the industry. Musa’s goal is to build a new supply chain based on trash, disrupting the $32 billion market and reusing 100 percent of all waste collected. By segregating waste into three groups, arranging for specialized hauling, and optimizing the disposable assets, they’re able to generate energy, provide raw material for recycling and produce natural fertilizer.
Since its inception in 2019, Musa has collected more than 16 thousand tons of waste and prevented nearly 14 million kg of CO₂ emissions.
This technology and ecological focus are unprecedented in the Latin American landfill space. Since its inception in 2019, Musa has collected more than 16 thousand tons of waste and prevented nearly 14 million kg of CO₂ emissions.
Through the repurposing of waste, Musa is able to generate revenue beyond the traditional model of waste collection. Musa’s technology provides customers with insights into the impact their garbage produces, inspiring them to be more mindful of their climate footprint. Some of their largest clients have even joined tours to better understand the landfill ecosystem and learn how Musa’s system redefines trash.
Musa’s technology provides customers with insights into the impact their garbage produces, inspiring them to be more mindful of their climate footprint.
Musa’s impact transcends their core business model. The Founders feel deeply about second chances and have partnered with Instituto Responsa to employ ex-prisoners reentering society to support trash transportation and sorting operations. “It has been a game-changer for our company culture,” says Martin, Musa’s CEO. “It’s had an overall positive influence. All of our employees feel engaged and are even more connected to our company values.”
During the past year, Musa started selling their recyclables to major industries such as Heineken and Braskem. The latter transformed polypropylene collected from convenience stores into new products, realizing an important milestone in Musa’s path toward a circular economy. Looking ahead, Musa will continue to expand its operations in São Paulo, and plans to introduce their services in one additional city during 2023. While their business is self-sustainable, they see a supportive trend toward climate awareness and action in Brazil, which will only further propel them in their mission to redefine waste.