From Trash to treasure: How Osogbo women are recycling waste into wealth
Posted by Editor | 3 days ago | 63 times
By Dodo Adetutu, Alade Abdullahi, Adeleke Akinkunmi, Adebambo Zainab, Apena Gawat
Waste will remain a part of our lives for as long as we exist. While some people may produce more waste than others, everybody produces it every day as leftover food, dirty water, or garbage.
By 2050, a whopping 1.33 billion people will inhabit African cities—almost 900 million more than today. Africa’s pace of urbanisation is the fastest in the world, which means that, in 20 years, half of the continent’s population will be city dwellers, as data from the United Nations (UN) indicated. With a large population comes a large amount of garbage.Lower-income cities in Africa and Asia are expected to double their municipal solid waste generation within the next 15 to 20 years, placing a major strain on the continent’s poor infrastructure.
Currently, almost 20 of the world’s 50 biggest dumpsites are in Africa, according to Waste Atlas. Nigeria generates more than 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually, of which only 20–30% is collected. Reckless disposal of MSW has led to the blockage of sewers and drainage networks and the choking of water bodies. Although the problems of solid waste management in Nigeria range from poor collection and disposal methods, a lacklustre waste management database, insufficient financial resources, non-compliance with laws, and a lack of awareness of the dangers of poor sanitary habits.
While some countries are advancing towards recycling solutions, Nigeria faces numerous and complex challenges in transitioning to a recycling economy. These include inadequate infrastructure, limited awareness, insufficient funding, weak regulations, and a lack of collaboration. However, the good news is that this also implies vast opportunities for circular economy business across the waste management value chain.
For instance, living in Osogbo has made the rainy season a nightmare for Fausat Ajilore. Over the years, her neighbourhood has struggled with severe flooding, as blocked drainage channels overflow and contaminate the water supply. The streets are filled with plastic waste, nylon bags, PET bottles, and Styrofoam, making it difficult for them to continue their usual daily activities when the rainy season comes.
“I would usually wake up to stagnant, dirty water right outside in front of my shop, and during heavy rains, the drainage water would make it difficult to attend to customers,” Mrs Fausat expressed. “We complained, but nothing ever changed.” Frustrated by the lack of action, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
One morning during the rainy season in 2024, equipped with gloves and a determined spirit, Mrs Fausat waded through the waste-clogged drainage outside her home, sorting through the trash. She found nylons, PET bottles, and Styrofoam. She put all of them in a sack and dropped them in front of her gate, intending to take them to the dumpsite, where sanitation officers would take charge of the waste and dispose of it.
In the evening, Mrs. Silifat Olusoji, a cleaner in one of the higher institutions in Osogbo, was passing in front of Fausat’s house and noticed the sack of waste, filled mostly with PET bottles. Unlike Fausat, Mrs Silifat used to collect and sell PET bottles and saw the sorted excess of the combined waste as a potential money maker. She approached Mrs. Fausat.
She asked, ‘Do you know you can make money from this? She was surprised when I told her that recycling companies buy PET bottles,” Mrs Silifat recalled.
She then introduced Mrs Fausat to Ajara Waste Recycling Company (AWRC), an NGO founded by Mr Adebayo Jimoh. AWRC purchases PET bottles, processes them, and transforms them into PET flakes, a valuable material used to create new plastic products. Mrs. Fausat was amazed. What she had considered mere trash was actually a potential source of income.
Through the sale of PET waste bottles, Mrs Silifat has been able to supplement her monthly income as a cleaner, earning up to ₦5,000 from selling 100 PET bottles, with the current rate at ₦200 per kilogram. Seeing how profitable it was, Mrs Fausat decided to take it a step further by organising a small group of young people in her neighbourhood to collect plastic waste. “This was an opportunity I never expected,” Mrs Fausat said. “Now, instead of seeing plastic as a nuisance, I see it as money lying on the streets.”
She encouraged four young people in her community to pick up plastic waste. Twice a week, they would gather the PET bottles and drop them at her place, and she would tip them from the money earned selling to AWRC. The amount each person received depended on the weight of plastic they brought in, incentivising them to collect more.
Across Osogbo and Nigeria, waste recycling is gaining more recognition as a source of income. In 2023 alone, AWRC reported a 40% increase in PET bottle collection, providing economic opportunities for hundreds of informal waste collectors.
One of the girls who helped Fausat, Oluwatomike, who recently graduated from secondary school, eyes sparkled as she shared her dreams of picking up jamb form using the savings from the stipends she receives from Mrs Fausat. “I was amazed to discover that something as simple as plastic waste could turn into a steady income,” she said with a warm smile.
Initially, she thought she couldn't raise the money for jamb form, but after getting money from Mrs Fausat for the first time, she took it upon her stride to pick PET bottles whenever she saw one. “Mrs Fausat pays us regularly and on time. She pays the money for every set of plastic picked during the next drop. Mrs Fausat would have calculated the worth and handed me my money. The highest I have gotten is 2,800 naira, usually never less than 1,000.”
As she spoke to her neighbours, her enthusiasm was contagious. “Imagine if more of us joined in! We would not just be cleaning up our community but also empowering ourselves financially. It’s a win-win!”
Mrs. Fausat felt a growing sense of pride and accomplishment with each sale. She had made life bearable during the rainy season and found a way to uplift those around her. If more people embraced this opportunity, she believed it could spark a wave of economic empowerment in Osogbo.
The story of Mrs Fausat and Mrs Silifat illustrates the hidden opportunities in waste management and the importance of sharing knowledge. For a long time, Mrs Fausat faced issues with plastic waste clogging her drainage, viewing it merely as an environmental problem. However, with the right insights, she realised that what she once deemed garbage could be a source of income for many. “Oluwatomike hopes to continue to pick plastics on campus to get by.”
This underscores a significant concern: many Nigerians dispose of PET bottles daily without recognising their economic value. Increasing awareness about recycling can empower more individuals to transform waste into wealth. According to the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Nigeria produces about 2.5 million tons of plastic waste yearly, of which only 10% is recycled. However, the rise of recycling companies like AWRC is helping to bridge this gap.
Moreover, recycling is emerging as a viable financial support for those in low-income positions. Mrs. Silifat initially depended solely on her cleaning job and discovered that selling PET bottles became a dependable side business that helped her family financially. The organised recycling network established by AWRC ensures that waste collectors and suppliers have a consistent market for their materials, thereby promoting financial stability.
In addition, organisations like AWRC are boosting local economies by providing reliable incomes to suppliers. By guaranteeing fair compensation, offering efficiency-boosting tools, and fostering positive business relationships, AWRC sets a benchmark for how recycling initiatives can drive economic development.
The paramount message here is that sustainability and economic empowerment can coexist. If more individuals acknowledge the financial benefits of waste recycling, plastic pollution will decrease, and livelihoods will also improve, resulting in a cleaner environment and a more resilient economy.
Of the first set of young people that Fausat gathered to help pick up the PET bottles that littered the street, only one still helped collect plastic bottles. Two have moved on to proceed with their higher education, while one has moved to another state to stay with her mum’s cousin with the plan that he’d sponsor her higher education. Now, she has just two people helping her with the plastic collection.
While recycling is a crucial resource for many, it faces several significant challenges. One primary issue is the lack of awareness. Many Nigerians, like Mrs Fausat before she learned about it, do not realise the financial opportunities of waste collection and recycling. Without adequate education, PET bottles will continue to be carelessly thrown away, blocking drainage systems and harming the environment.
Another challenge is the irregularity of waste collection systems. Unlike in developed countries where recycling is systematically organised, Nigeria still depends mainly on informal waste pickers. This leads to inefficient collection, as individuals like Mrs Fausat and Mrs Silifat have to actively search for buyers instead of being part of a structured system.
Moreover, the low capacity for recycling remains a significant hurdle. Despite the emergence of recycling companies, Nigeria still lacks sufficient facilities to handle the vast amounts of plastic waste produced daily. Due to poor infrastructure, many recyclable materials end up in landfills, hindering the effectiveness of recycling efforts.
Government support for waste recycling is still lacking. Most recycling companies, including AWRC, function without substantial governmental assistance, making it difficult to scale their operations and raise awareness. If there were policies and funding to back recycling initiatives, the industry could expand significantly and benefit even more individuals.
