Freetown Waste Transformers SL LTD (FWT SL LTD)
The Pitch
DortiBox improved how Freetown managed waste by connecting residents, waste collectors and clean energy production through a simple mobile platform. By integrating waste collection with waste-to-energy infrastructure, the initiative helped create cleaner neighborhoods, formal jobs and more reliable energy services.
The Problem
Freetown generates approximately 550 tons of waste a day, but more than 70% remains uncollected in drains and on beaches, spreading disease and worsening floods for more than 1 million residents — many of whom live in informal settlements.
The Process
- Developed DortiBox, a mobile platform that organizes waste collection across Freetown by connecting households with waste collectors
- Connected the digital platform to biodigesters, allowing organic waste collected through the system to be converted into renewable energy
- Engaged the city council, waste collectors and residents to design and improve the digital platform and related waste management services in response to local needs
- Built and trained a network of certified micro-collectors, helping to formalize waste collection and create more reliable income opportunities
- Piloted the app with residents and certified micro-collectors, using feedback to improve the platform before broader rollout
- Conducted community outreach, public awareness campaigns and training sessions to encourage waste separation and increase participation
- Partnered with Freetown City Council to expand the service, improve waste management practices and integrate the platform into municipal waste management policies
- Scaled from a neighborhood pilot to citywide implementation after becoming the legally mandated scheduling and payment channel under Freetown's 2024 Solid & Liquid Waste Collection Bylaws
The Impact
- Reached more than 5,000 people through DortiBox by digitizing and facilitating waste management logistics
- Increased formal waste collection from 30% to 46%, removing more than 120 tons of refuse from drains each month and helping reduce flood and cholera risks for residents
- Diverted 11.9 tons of waste and produced 12,205 kWh of renewable power Increased waste separation rates at source from 18% to 65% over 12 months
- Formalized 1,350 youth collectors, with 72% reporting an increase of more than 10% in earnings
- Conducted 10 neighborhood roadshows, 15 consultations with public authorities and 25 training sessions for waste collectors
- Strengthened waste collectors’ skills through an industry association workshop in 2023
- Scaled block-by-block across Freetown, with pickup orders growing from 5,000 in 2024 to 20,000 in the first five months of 2025
