Waste is an issue that tends to fly under the radar these days, but should receive more attention- in Sao Paulo alone, 10 tons of garbage is dumped in surrounding landfills every day. In 1999 two entrepreneurs saw a new challenge amidst the piles of used materials in their hometown, and founded Oxil Reciclagem de Plasticos to take advantage of the opportunity this unique environmental threat created.

In her profile of the company, Kelly Desy finds that there is a surprisingly high demand for recycled plastics, totaling 17.5% of the total plastics market.

It has been a couple of weeks since Professor Aneel Karnani and Professor C.K. Prahalad debated the best (and worst) ways to serve bottom of the pyramid markets here at NextBillion.net. You may recall that it started when Karnani posted his criticism of Prahalad’s best-selling book; Prahalad responded in-kind. Now the Acumen Fund weighs in on the debate:

The Business in Development Challenge, the world’s first international business plan competition for poverty reduction and profit, is taking place this week in Amsterdam. Hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, NGOs, and government representatives have gathered on the eve of tomorrow’s award ceremony, when a 150,000 Euro prize pool will be divided among 15 or so winners.

The BiD Challenge is the product of a partnership between the Dutch bi-lateral development agency, NCDO, and a local NGO named Fair Ventures. Their goal is simple: generate jobs and incomes by boosting small enterprises in developing countries. What’s unique about the BiD Challenge is that it combines a business plan competition with a charitable award – a hybrid financing scheme that attracts both corporate and NGO interest.

Of 903 initial applicants, the pool has been whittled down to 25 finalists; about fifteen of them will split the 150,000 Euro prize pool. Winners will be announced tomorrow; prior to the awards ceremony, finalists will have the chance to pitch their business plans to investors during a large venture fair.

The BiD Challenge is the ultimate partnership – it bridges the government, NGO, and corporate worlds relatively seamlessly. Each participant has a clearly defined role, and acts in its own best interests: government funds projects that have been vetted by experts; NGOs highlight the importance of small-scale enterprise; corporations and investors see the next wave of BOP innovations and invest in the best models. Everyone wins, right?