Blockchain Applications for Waste Management - Analysis of Blockchain Use cases in Waste Management and General Guidance for Starting Blockchain Projects

Abstract

The aim of this study is to learn from the analysis of best practice examples in waste management for future application in the municipal sector. The focus is on the problems that the blockchain technology can primarily solve. Blockchain is a cross-sectional technology and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Secondly, the structural characteristics of the use cases can also be of interest, for example whether a case is a pure business solution for companies, i.e. B2B, or a business-to-consumer (B2C) or C2C solution, or whether a municipality or public administration is involved, i.e. P2C or P2B. The analysis should also reveal in which segment, or for which type of waste (municipal or industrial waste, or only one specific waste category like glass, plastics or paper) most use cases could be found. The study begins with a description of the general characteristics of the blockchain applications found in waste management. Based on this, categories for screening are defined and screening results are presented and interpreted. Of course, it is questionable whether the results of a limited number of use cases (20 cases) are meaningful. Consequently, the results are compared with other studies on blockchain applications and analyzed for similarities and differences. Finally, core results are summarized, and the main findings are presented.