Integrating zkVerify for Identity Verification in Recycle Guru

1. Introduction

Recycle Guru aims to create a secure and trustworthy ecosystem for recycling e-waste and rewarding users with Ecocycle ($ECO) tokens. A critical component of this is a robust identity verification system to prevent fraud and ensure fair distribution of rewards. zkVerify, a universal proof verification layer, offers a powerful solution by enabling privacy-preserving identity verification using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs).

This document outlines how to integrate zkVerify into the Recycle Guru project to verify user identities without compromising their personal data.

2. Core Concepts: Why zkVerify for Identity?

Zero-knowledge proofs allow a user (the prover) to prove to a verifier that they know a piece of information (e.g., their age or that they are a unique person) without revealing the information itself. zkVerify acts as a decentralized, fast, and cost-effective network to verify these proofs.

By using zkVerify, Recycle Guru can:

Verify User Uniqueness: Ensure that one person cannot create multiple accounts to abuse the reward system.
Verify Attributes: Confirm user attributes (e.g., country of residence) without the user having to share their ID documents directly with Recycle Guru.
Enhance Privacy: Uphold user privacy, a core tenet of web3, by not storing sensitive personal data.

3. Proposed Integration Architecture

The integration involves the Recycle Guru application, the user, a third-party identity provider capable of generating ZKPs, and the zkVerify network.

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant RecycleGuruApp as Recycle Guru App
    participant IdentityProvider as Identity Provider (e.g., ZK-enabled KYC service)
    participant zkVerifyNetwork as zkVerify Network
    participant AmadeusContract as Recycle Guru Smart Contract (on Amadeus)

    User->>RecycleGuruApp: 1. Initiate ID Verification
    RecycleGuruApp->>User: 2. Redirect to Identity Provider
    User->>IdentityProvider: 3. Provide identity documents (off-chain)
    IdentityProvider->>User: 4. Generate ZK Proof of Identity (on user's device)
    User->>RecycleGuruApp: 5. Submit ZK Proof
    RecycleGuruApp->>zkVerifyNetwork: 6. Send Proof for Verification (via Relayer API)
    zkVerifyNetwork-->>RecycleGuruApp: 7. Return Verification Status (Proof ID)
    RecycleGuruApp->>AmadeusContract: 8. Record Verification on Amadeus
    AmadeusContract-->>RecycleGuruApp: 9. Confirm Verification Recorded
    RecycleGuruApp->>User: 10. Update UI to show Verified Status

4. Step-by-Step Integration Flow

User Initiates Verification: Inside the Recycle Guru app, the user clicks a "Verify Identity" button to start the process. This is required to be eligible for receiving $ECO token rewards.
Generate ZK Proof: The user is directed to a trusted, third-party identity provider that supports ZKPs. The user provides their identity documents (e.g., passport, driver's license) to this provider off-chain. The provider's service, running locally on the user's device or in a secure enclave, generates a ZK proof. This proof attests to a specific fact (e.g., "This user is a unique person who has not been verified before in the Recycle Guru system") without revealing the underlying data.
Submit Proof to zkVerify: The generated proof is sent back to the Recycle Guru application, which then submits it to the zkVerify network for verification. This is done via an API call to the zkVerify Relayer API.
Proof Verification: The zkVerify network's nodes verify the proof with high speed and low cost. Upon successful verification, zkVerify emits an event and creates a record of the verification, accessible via a unique Aggregation ID.
On-Chain Confirmation: The Recycle Guru backend listens for the verification event or uses the Aggregation ID to query the zkVerify smart contract deployed on the settlement layer. This confirms that the user's proof of identity is valid.
Update User Status: Once the verification is confirmed on-chain, the Recycle Guru smart contract on the Amadeus blockchain updates the user's status to "Verified." The user is now eligible to receive $ECO tokens for their recycling activities.

5. Technical Implementation Details

Frontend: The Recycle Guru app (web or mobile) will need to integrate with the chosen ZK identity provider's SDK to handle the proof generation flow.
Backend: The Recycle Guru backend will be responsible for:
- Receiving the ZK proof from the client.
- Making a POST request to the zkVerify Relayer API endpoint to submit the proof.
- Storing the returned Proof ID and listening for the final verification status.

Smart Contracts (Amadeus): The RecycleGuru smart contract will have a mapping to store the verification status of each user's address.

// Example Solidity snippet for Recycle Guru contract
mapping(address => bool) public isVerified;

// Function to be called by the backend after zkVerify confirmation
function markAsVerified(address user) external onlyOwner {
    isVerified[user] = true;
}

// Reward function checks for verification
function claimRewards(address user, uint256 amount) external {
    require(isVerified[user], "User is not verified");
    // ... logic to transfer ECO tokens
}

6. Benefits of Using zkVerify for Recycle Guru

Benefit	Description
Enhanced Privacy	Users prove their identity without sharing personal data with Recycle Guru, increasing trust and adoption.
Fraud Prevention	By ensuring each user is a unique individual, zkVerify prevents Sybil attacks where one person creates multiple accounts to unfairly claim rewards.
Regulatory Compliance	Minimizes the PII handled by Recycle Guru, simplifying compliance with data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
Cost and Speed	As a dedicated verification layer, zkVerify is significantly cheaper and faster than verifying ZK proofs directly on a general-purpose blockchain.
Decentralization	Using a decentralized verification network aligns with the web3 principles of the Recycle Guru project and the Amadeus ecosystem.

By integrating zkVerify, Recycle Guru can build a more secure, private, and scalable platform, fostering a fair and robust circular economy for electronic waste.

References

[1] zkVerify Documentation. "Workflow." docs.zkverify.io. Accessed Dec 20, 2025.

[2] zkVerify. "The Universal Proof Verification Layer." zkverify.io. Accessed Dec 20, 2025.

More about Recycle Guru:

https://ecency.com/recycle/@chrisaiki/recycle-guru-an-autonomous-agent