Privacy and Cookies Policy

Last updated: 20 May 2026

Version: 2.0.0

This Privacy and Cookies Policy explains how Trash4Goods collects, uses, protects and shares personal data when you use our website, business web app, mobile application and related services, together the Services.

Trash4Goods helps people recycle more and better by allowing users to register and validate recycling actions, earn points or rewards, participate in recycling campaigns and support sustainability programmes run with municipalities, waste infrastructure operators, waste collection and management companies, brands and other environmental partners.

We aim to keep this policy clear: we do not sell individual personal data. When we work with partners, we generally share aggregated, anonymised or pseudonymised recycling information. Identifiable user data is only shared where needed to provide a service, run a programme or reward that the user joins, comply with law, prevent fraud, or where the user has given permission.

1. Who is responsible for your data

The controller of your personal data is:

Trash4Goods Lda.

Email: dpo@trash4goods.com

You can contact us at this email for privacy questions, data access requests, account deletion requests or other data protection matters.

2. Services covered by this Policy

This Policy applies to:

the Trash4Goods website;
the Trash4Goods mobile application;
the Trash4Business web app, dashboards and partner tools;
recycling campaigns, rewards, challenges and programmes operated through Trash4Goods;
support, emails, notifications and related communications.

Some third-party websites, reward providers, app stores or partner services may have their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for their independent privacy practices.

3. Information we collect

Depending on how you use the Services, we may collect the following categories of information.

Account and profile information

This may include your name, nickname, email address, phone number, country, city, municipality or region, language, account preferences, login method and account activity.

Sign-in information from Google or Apple

If you sign in using Google or Apple, we may receive the information you authorise, such as your name, email address, Apple private relay email address where applicable, account identifier and technical authentication tokens.

We do not access Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, iCloud, Apple Photos, Apple Messages or other Google or Apple services unless we clearly ask for this and you authorise it. Authentication tokens are used only to keep your login secure and are not shared with municipalities, brands or other commercial partners.

Recycling activity information

To validate recycling actions and provide rewards, we may process information such as:

date and time of the recycling action;
recycling point, container, equipment, campaign or location used;
type of product, packaging, material or waste recycled;
barcode, QR code, campaign code or other validation identifier;
points, rewards, vouchers, credits or benefits earned;
validation status and fraud-prevention signals.

Location, Bluetooth and verification data

The mobile app may use GPS, approximate location, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to verify that a recycling action happened at an eligible place or near authorised equipment, containers, beacons or recycling infrastructure.

You can control GPS and Bluetooth permissions in your device settings. If you disable them, some validations, campaigns or rewards may not work.

We do not use BLE to identify other users, track unrelated Bluetooth devices or monitor activity unrelated to the Services.

Programme and collection participation information

If you choose to join a municipal programme, recycling event, collection plan, reward campaign or similar initiative, we may process the information needed to operate that programme, such as your participation confirmation, recycling activity, contact details where required, collection area and reward eligibility.

Website, app and device information

We may collect technical and usage information such as IP address, device type, operating system, browser, app version, language, region, logs, crash reports, performance data, security events and interactions with the Services.

Support and communication information

If you contact us, we may process your name, email address, message, attachments and communication history so we can respond.

Marketing preferences

If you subscribe, opt in or where otherwise permitted by law, we may process your email address, notification preferences and campaign interactions to send updates, rewards, offers or sustainability information. You can opt out at any time.

4. Why we use your information

We use personal data to:

create and manage user accounts;
provide login through Google, Apple or email;
validate recycling actions;
operate GPS, BLE and other verification methods;
award points, rewards, benefits, vouchers or credits;
run campaigns, challenges, municipal programmes and collection plans;
show relevant rewards, offers and sustainability actions;
prevent fraud, abuse, duplicate claims and misuse;
provide customer support;
maintain, secure, troubleshoot and improve the Services;
create aggregated reports and sustainability insights;
send service messages, app notifications and optional marketing;
comply with legal, accounting, tax, regulatory and security obligations.

Where required, we rely on legal bases such as performance of a contract, consent, legitimate interests, compliance with legal obligations, and public interest where relevant to public-sector programmes.

5. How we share information

We only share personal data when necessary, proportionate and permitted by law.

Service providers

We may use trusted providers for hosting, infrastructure, databases, authentication, analytics, maps, GPS/BLE validation, notifications, support, security, fraud prevention, payment or reward operations. These providers may process data only as needed to provide services to us and must protect it appropriately.

Municipalities and public-sector entities

We may share recycling information with municipalities or public-sector entities to support recycling programmes, sustainability reporting, public campaigns, waste reduction initiatives and circular economy goals.

Where possible, this is aggregated, anonymised or pseudonymised information, such as number of recycling actions by area, material categories, campaign participation, impact estimates or reward statistics.

We share identifiable data only when needed for a programme you join, a service you request, legal compliance, fraud prevention or where you have given consent by signing to such event.

Waste infrastructure, collection and management partners

We may share information with entities that operate recycling infrastructure, collection systems, waste management, sorting, treatment or environmental services.

As a rule, these partners receive aggregated, anonymised or pseudonymised data, such as the number of products or packages recycled, material type, campaign, area, impact and rewards issued**.**

This may be used to validate recycling actions, coordinate collections, improve infrastructure, resolve operational issues, measure impact, prevent fraud or provide rewards.

Brands, producers and campaign partners

We may work with brands, producers, distributors, packaging companies or other organisations connected to recycled products or materials. The goal is to connect recycling actions with better rewards and sustainability reporting.

As a rule, these partners receive aggregated, anonymised or pseudonymised data, such as the number of products or packages recycled, material type, campaign, area, impact and rewards issued.

We do not share your name, email, phone number or other direct identifiers with brands for their independent marketing unless you choose to participate in a campaign, request a reward or communication that requires it, or give consent. Precise GPS data and raw BLE data are not shared with brands.

Legal, safety and corporate reasons

We may disclose data if required by law, authority request, court order, fraud investigation, security incident, legal claim, merger, acquisition, restructuring or sale of assets.

6. Aggregated and anonymised data

We may create aggregated, anonymised or statistical information about recycling, app usage, environmental impact, campaign performance and reward participation. This information does not identify you and may be used or shared for research, reporting, business, sustainability and communication purposes.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website, business web app and mobile app may use cookies, local storage, SDKs, pixels or similar technologies.

We use these technologies to:

make the website and app work;
keep users logged in;
remember preferences;
protect accounts and prevent fraud;
understand usage and improve performance;
measure campaigns and communications;
provide optional marketing or personalised content where permitted.

Types of cookies and technologies we may use:

Essential cookies: required for login, security, navigation and basic functionality.
Preference cookies: remember settings such as language or region.
Analytics cookies: help us understand how the Services are used and improved.
Marketing cookies: help measure or deliver campaigns, only where permitted by law and subject to consent where required.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through our cookie banner or preference centre. If you block essential cookies, some parts of the Services may not work.

8. How long we keep information

We keep personal data for as long as needed to provide the Services, operate your account, validate recycling activity, manage rewards, prevent fraud, comply with legal obligations and resolve disputes.

In practice:

account and recycling history are kept while your account is active;
security, fraud-prevention and legal records may be kept where necessary;
marketing data is kept until you opt out or withdraw consent;
anonymised data may be kept indefinitely;
if you delete your account, your account enters a 30-day recovery period. After that period, we delete or anonymise your personal data unless we must keep limited information for legal, security, fraud-prevention, accounting or dispute-resolution purposes.

9. Your choices and rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights to:

access your personal data;
correct inaccurate data;
delete your data;
restrict or object to processing;
receive a portable copy of your data;
withdraw consent;
object to direct marketing;
complain to a data protection authority.

You can exercise your rights by contacting dpo@trash4goods.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

You can also control many choices directly through the app or device settings, including location, Bluetooth, notifications and marketing preferences.

10. Children

The Trash4Goods app is suitable and safe for children under 16, although some functionalities can be restricted for users below 16, unless permitted by a parent or legal guardian and by applicable law. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child without appropriate permission, we will delete it or take other appropriate steps.

11. International transfers

We aim to process data in the European Economic Area where possible. If data is transferred to another country, we use appropriate safeguards required by applicable data protection laws, such as adequacy decisions, contractual safeguards or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

12. Security

We use technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal data, including access controls, secure authentication, encryption where appropriate, monitoring, backups, data minimisation and contractual protections with service providers.

No online service is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. If changes are material, we may notify you through the app, website, email or another appropriate method. The latest version will always show the update date.

14. Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact:

Trash4Goods Lda.

Email: dpo@trash4goods.com