…estimate over 250,000 jobs by 2025
Experts have underlined the undeniable economic impact of an efficient waste management system in Nigeria, saying it could create over 250,000 jobs by 2025.
The mountains of plastic waste that once represented environmental degradation across several states are now slowly but surely turning into a vibrant ecosystem, seamlessly blending recycling with commerce and symbolising economic revitalisation.
Despite being in its nascent stage, reports suggest that the recycling industry in Nigeria shows real potential to foster not just a green economy, but also to lift families and communities out of poverty.
Although the nation’s average plastic waste generation figures are hard to quantify, estimates indicate that it ranks ninth globally, producing a staggering 2.5 million metric tons of plastic waste annually. With a population exceeding 200 million, this number is expected to rise, presenting vast opportunities for circular economy businesses across the waste management value chain.
According to the Nigerian government and the UNDP’s Imagine Nigeria report, the country’s green economy is valued at approximately $250 billion, with plastic recycling playing a central role and boasting an estimated market size of $40 billion. In 2021, a report from the Lagos State Waste Management Authority indicated that the state’s recycling economy generated as much as 18 billion naira.
The flourishing industry extends beyond waste collection to include sorting, processing into bales or flakes, and recycling materials into resins or other reusable products. Companies like Kaltani, with its $4 million seed funding, Unilever Nigeria’s $2 million grant to Wecyclers, and USAID and Coca-Cola Foundation’s $4 million grant to TechnoServe, underscore the industry’s potential to create sustainable wealth.
Available data shows opportunities abound within the value chain, from plastic pickers to aggregators said it’s not uncommon to see plastic pickers on the streets of major cities, with sacks across their shoulders or pushing collection carts, removing plastics from the streets and gutters.
Rashid Adeyemo, once an overlooked plastics picker in Yaba, now leads cooperatives, empowering others to make honest living.
Significant job creation and employment opportunities are driven by the emergence of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) such as Chanjandatti, Green Axis, Fifthseed, RecyclePoints, and Ecobarter.
These companies focus on driving packaging collection and recycling, delivering environmental sustainability and economic opportunities in communities.
The environmental benefits are significant according to reports. By diverting plastic and cans from overflowing landfills, plastic waste collectors and aggregators play a crucial role in reducing land and water pollution and conserving valuable natural resources.
However, Nigeria has yet to overcome its waste management challenges, with plastic waste remaining a major environmental issue.
Observers note that a critical element in tackling these challenges lies in collaboration. Policymakers, industry, civil society organisations, and consumers must unite in formulating a comprehensive nationwide action plan.
Collaborations between government, food and beverage companies, retailers, consumers, and recycling industries can create a win-win situation, addressing the plastic pollution crisis while empowering communities, creating jobs, and fostering a culture of sustainability.
Rashid Adeyemo and some other SMEs are paving the way for a future where waste becomes a catalyst for positive change. In their hands, trash transforms into treasure, benefiting their livelihoods, the environment, and the nation’s future.
