Privacy Policy

Last updated: 8/12/2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to WasteMate. We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This privacy notice explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have in relation to it. If you have any questions or concerns about this notice or our practices, please contact us at privacy@wastemate.co.nz.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the App, as well as information that is collected automatically.

Anonymous Users

  • Local Council Preference: We store your selected council ID in your browser's local storage to provide tailored content. This is not sent to our servers.
  • Scan Feature Usage: We may use session storage to track the number of scans an anonymous user performs to enforce usage limits.

Registered Users

When you create an account, we collect and store the following information using Firebase services:

  • Authentication Information: Your email address and password (hashed) or Google account identifier are stored by Firebase Authentication.
  • User Profile Information: We create a user profile tied to your account which may include your email, your selected council ID, and notification preferences.
  • Push Notification Tokens: If you grant permission, we collect and store Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) tokens to send you push notifications for service alerts or collection reminders.

Data from AI Features

When you use the "Scan an Item" feature, the image you upload is sent to our AI service provider (Google AI via Genkit) for processing. We do not store these images on our servers after the analysis is complete. However, our service provider may have its own data handling policies which we encourage you to review.

3. Usage Data and Reporting

To improve our services and provide valuable insights to our partners, we collect anonymized and aggregated data about how you use the app. This includes:

  • Search Data: Anonymized search terms to understand what items users are looking for.
  • Scan Data: Anonymized results from the item scanner, particularly items that are not found in our database, to identify areas for improvement.
  • Learning Data: Aggregated data on which learning tips are viewed most frequently to tailor educational content.

This data is always aggregated and does not contain any personally identifiable information (PII) such as your email or user ID. This aggregated data may be compiled into reports and provided to third parties, such as local councils, to help them improve their waste management services and planning.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Create and manage your account.
  • Personalize your app experience by showing relevant council-specific information.
  • Send you push notifications, if you have opted in.
  • Provide and improve the AI-powered scanning feature.
  • Respond to your support requests sent via the help form.
  • Analyze usage trends and create aggregated reports for internal use and for our partners.

5. Will Your Information Be Shared?

We only share information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We use Firebase for backend services (authentication, database, hosting) and Google AI for our generative features. These providers process your data on our behalf.
  • Aggregated Reports: We may share anonymized and aggregated reports based on usage data with our partners, such as local councils. These reports will not contain any of your personal information.
  • Compliance with Laws: We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so to comply with applicable law or a valid legal process.

6. Data Retention

We keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements). When you delete your account, we will also delete your user profile data from our database. Aggregated, anonymous usage data may be retained for longer periods for statistical purposes.

7. Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. We use Firebase, which provides industry-standard security for data in transit and at rest. However, please remember that no electronic transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.

8. Your Privacy Rights

As a user, you have rights regarding your personal information. Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

  • The right to access, update, or delete the information we have on you. You can manage your account information from your profile page.
  • The right to opt-out of push notifications at any time by changing the settings on your device or in the app's profile page.
  • The right to withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal information.

If you wish to delete your account and all associated data, please contact us at the email below.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may email us at privacy@wastemate.co.nz.

Disclaimer: This is a template Privacy Policy. For a production application, you should consult with a legal professional to ensure it meets all legal requirements for your jurisdiction and use case.