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TOTE

Collaboration Terms

Last updated: 18 August 2026

1. Identification

These Collaboration Terms govern the relationship between courier service providers ("Couriers") and TOTE, UNIPESSOAL LDA, with registered office at Avenida da Liberdade 435, 1685-778 Famões (Odivelas), Portugal, tax identification number (NIF) 519259254, operating under the brand "TOTE", hereinafter referred to as "TOTE".

Contact: [email protected]

2. Nature of the Relationship

The Courier operates as an independent contractor (prestador de serviços independente) and is not an employee of TOTE. This collaboration does not create an employment relationship, and the Courier is not entitled to employee benefits, paid leave, or social security contributions from TOTE.

The Courier may freely provide services to other entities, including competing platforms. There is no exclusivity requirement.

3. Legal Requirements and Onboarding

To collaborate with TOTE, the Courier must:

  • Hold an active business registration at the Portuguese Tax Authority (Finanças) that allows the issuance of invoices to TOTE — any applicable CAE code is accepted, provided that the activity is open and apt to invoice
  • Maintain a valid work accident insurance policy as required by Portuguese law (Decreto-Lei n.º 159/99), throughout the duration of the collaboration
  • Issue an invoice for services rendered
  • Comply with all applicable tax and social security obligations
  • Hold a Portuguese bank account (IBAN starting with PT50) — TOTE processes payments only to Portuguese IBANs
  • Provide their own smartphone with internet connection, GPS and camera — TOTE does not supply equipment or data plans
  • Provide a valid Portuguese mobile phone number, used for operational contact and pickup coordination

Before being activated on the platform, the Courier must complete the onboarding flow: upload identification documents, accept these Collaboration Terms, the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy, and pass the mandatory waste separation quiz (with the minimum passing score set by TOTE).

TOTE may request proof of insurance and business registration at any time. Failure to provide valid documentation may result in suspension of access to the platform.

4. Scope of Service

Couriers perform the following role through the TOTE platform:

  • Pickup (Recolha): Collect sorted bags from customers' doors across all 4 fractions (paper/cardboard, plastic/metal, glass, residual waste) and deliver each one to the appropriate public container for that fraction.

Bags per pickup. Each pickup covers up to 3 bags per fraction and 8 bags in total. These limits reflect what a household normally puts out, including weeks of heavier use, and they are the same limits the customer accepts in the Terms of Service — a customer who needs more bags within the same cycle has a separate option for that. The app and the website show these counts while the Courier records the pickup and do not allow more than this to be recorded, so the Courier does not have to keep track of them. If a customer leaves out more than the limit, the Courier records the pickup up to the limit and reports the situation to TOTE, who handles it with the customer — it is not for the Courier to resolve on the doorstep.

The service area currently covers the zones where TOTE operates. Coverage may be expanded over time.

5. Job Selection and Scheduling

The TOTE platform operates in three daily periods (Europe/Lisbon time): Morning (09h–12h), Afternoon (12h–18h) and Night (18h–22h). Couriers select available jobs manually through the platform within these periods. There is no obligation to accept a minimum number of jobs, and TOTE does not impose mandatory schedules.

Once a job is accepted, the Courier commits to completing it within the scheduled time window. If unable to fulfil an accepted job, the Courier must cancel it in advance through the platform so it can be reassigned.

6. Compensation and Payment

Couriers are compensated per completed pickup. The value per job is always displayed on the platform before acceptance. Per-pickup compensation typically ranges between €0.50 and €0.70 (gross), depending on the job and operational conditions.

Payments are processed weekly by bank transfer to the Portuguese bank account (IBAN PT50…) provided by the Courier during onboarding. TOTE does not process payments to non-Portuguese IBANs. TOTE issues a detailed statement for each payment cycle.

Payment is conditional on the Courier issuing an invoice. TOTE transfers the amount for a cycle after receiving the corresponding invoice, issued in accordance with Portuguese tax law. Without an invoice there is no transfer.

The Courier is solely responsible for issuing invoices to TOTE for the services rendered, in accordance with Portuguese tax law. The TOTE platform provides a financial hub with detailed service aggregation, including totals and breakdowns by period, to facilitate invoice preparation through the Portuguese Tax Authority portal (Portal das Finanças) or the Courier's own invoicing software.

7. Courier Obligations

The Courier agrees to:

  • Maintain valid work accident insurance at all times
  • Successfully complete the mandatory waste separation quiz during onboarding
  • Follow TOTE's quality standards for collection and delivery
  • Handle the 4-fraction bags with care and deliver each one to the correct container: glass to the green glass bin, plastic/metal to yellow, paper/cardboard to blue, and residual waste to the common waste bin
  • Respect scheduled time windows for accepted jobs
  • Report any issues, incidents, or customer complaints through the platform
  • Maintain a professional and respectful conduct with customers
  • Accurately report the pickup condition (delivered in person, bags at the door, no waste to collect, or no answer from the customer)
  • Accurately report the number, type, and approximate fill level (empty, half, full) of bags collected in each pickup. Intentional over-reporting of bags or false collection reports may result in immediate suspension
  • Upload evidence photos when requested by TOTE. The platform supports up to 5 JPEG/PNG photos (≤5 MB each) per pickup. TOTE may request photographic evidence by sampling for quality assurance purposes
  • Not open, inspect, or retain any contents of the collected bags beyond what is necessary to verify the material type at the destination container
  • The Courier may refuse items that do not fit through the container opening when the customer has not prepared them (torn, folded or flattened). The Courier is not responsible for reducing the size of bulky items — this is the customer's duty under the Terms of Service
  • When signalling that they are on their way, do so in good faith and with a realistic arrival estimate

8. TOTE Obligations

TOTE agrees to:

  • Provide access to the TOTE platform for job selection and management
  • Provide reference materials and the waste separation quiz
  • Process payments on time according to the weekly cycle, upon receipt of the Courier's invoice
  • Offer support for operational and technical issues
  • Issue payment statements and relevant documentation

9. Data Protection

TOTE collects and processes the following personal data from Couriers: name, email address, phone number, tax identification number (NIF), bank account details (IBAN), document copies, location coordinates (GPS) collected during the service, and IP address at the time of consent.

The legal basis for processing is contract performance (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) and legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR) for tax and compliance purposes.

Data is retained for as long as necessary to fulfil the collaboration and comply with legal obligations (minimum 10 years for tax records). For full details on data processing, see our Privacy Policy.

Data protection contact: [email protected]

10. Suspension and Termination

Either party may terminate this collaboration at any time, without cause, by notifying the other party through the platform or by email.

TOTE may additionally suspend the Courier's access in the following cases:

  • Failure to maintain valid work accident insurance
  • Repeated quality or safety violations
  • Failure to provide requested documentation
  • Extended inactivity without notice
  • Falsification of collection records (reporting bags not actually collected or reporting incorrect quantities)
  • Disposal of recyclable materials in incorrect containers or in general waste
  • Repeated failure to provide evidence photos when requested
  • Breach of any provision of these terms

Upon termination, TOTE will process the final payment for all completed jobs within 30 days of receiving the Courier's final invoice. The balance remains available until that invoice is issued. The Courier will no longer have access to new jobs on the platform.

11. Confidentiality

The Courier must treat as strictly confidential any and all information obtained in the course of providing services to TOTE — including, by way of non-exhaustive example, addresses, names, schedules, contact details, building access information, and observations made during the execution of pickups — whether such information was accessed through the platform or by any other means.

No information may be stored, copied, transmitted or shared with third parties, in any form, medium or modality. All information obtained shall be used exclusively for the execution of the pickup services contracted by TOTE.

Breach of this clause, in addition to any applicable legal consequences, entitles TOTE to claim damages under the law, and may result in the immediate suspension of platform access and withholding of any pending payments.

12. Liability

The Courier is solely responsible for maintaining work accident insurance and for any damages caused by their own negligence during the performance of services.

TOTE is not liable for accidents, theft, loss, or damage occurring during collection or delivery, except where directly caused by TOTE's negligence.

Neither party shall be liable for failure to perform obligations due to force majeure events (natural disasters, strikes, government actions, or other circumstances beyond reasonable control).

13. Amendments

TOTE reserves the right to update these Collaboration Terms. Changes will be communicated at least 15 days in advance via the platform or email.

Continued use of the platform after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. If the Courier does not agree with the changes, they may terminate the collaboration before the new terms take effect.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Collaboration Terms are governed by Portuguese law. Any disputes arising from this collaboration shall be submitted to the courts of Lisbon, Portugal.

15. Contact

For questions about these Collaboration Terms:
Email: [email protected]
Postal address: Apartado 1, Loja Odivelas, 2676-901 Odivelas