Stakeholders target more investments in Nigeria’s billion-dollar recycling sector

*as Lagos records 18bn in 2021 from recycling

*sector projected to grow in 5 years

By Augustine Aminu, Yemi Olakitan

More investments are needed, to take advantage of the potential in Nigeria’s billion dollar recycling sector, stakeholders in the sector have said.

The  recycling in Nigeria is estimated to be worth over $10 billion, with a potential for massive job creation.

A study by Heinrich Boll Stiftung, a German government-funded environmental non-profit *organisation* , “there were over 3000 plastic product companies with a production capacity of over 100,000 tons per year in Nigeria, in 2013”. 

Nigeria’s average plastic waste generation is hard to measure with estimates ranging from as low as 7.5kg per capita per year to as high as 45kg per capita per year for cities like Lagos, the non-profit organisation said. Some studies found that over 2million tons of plastic waste is generated yearly.

Yet, annual plastics production is projected to grow by 523,000 tons by 2022, according to the WEF.

There are myriads of opportunities for turning plastic waste into wealth through recycling, which can create business opportunities and revenue for an economy where 27.1 million people are unemployed.

The Managing Director of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, has said that as of 2021, the recycling economy in Lagos was valued at approximately N18 billion. 

Odumboni made this known during the  launch of the Lagos Recyclers Association (LAGRA) at the Muson Centre in Lagos.

Mr. Odumboni commended the association’s efforts in the recycling business and employment creation and urged Nigerians to capitalise on the industry’s profitability. 

“I urge all stakeholders in the sector to support LAGRA in order to make it bigger, better and stronger.” 

Consequently, it can serve as a model for other states. With the launch of LAGRA, we can begin to implement the circular economy policies of LASG; circularity is now in sight.

“In Lagos alone, there are numerous chances to be seized from the circular economy. As of last year, the recycling economy in Lagos was valued at approximately N18 billion. Every Nigerian kid has an opportunity in recycling; they can become entrepreneurs through recycling activities”.

“Recycling and trash management have a significant impact on job development,” he stated. 

According to him, the government of Lagos is pleased to be affiliated with LAGRA. He added that its inception was intimately tied to the effect of LAWMA due to the necessity of having a working connection with recyclers. “Recycling presents huge opportunities, but it is time for Nigerians to seize those prospects.” “Plastic pollution will be a thing of the past in the near future,” stated Odumboni. 

Dr Femi Idowu-Adegoke, President of LAGRA, stated that it was time to foster recycling in order to realise its potential for boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

“Recycling has been in Nigeria for decades, but most individuals have been doing it informally; hence the necessity to formalise the sector with the establishment of LAGRA.

“We have joined forces to become a powerful force because, if we continue to operate independently, the industry will not see the anticipated growth.” 

”Recycling provides economic, social, and environmental benefits.”

He also claimed that in Nigeria, recycling is a massive sector worth over a billion dollars.

Idowu-Adegoke asked the association to continue fostering the nation’s recycling industry. 

”In the next five years, the sector will be astounded by the impact recycling will have on our GDP, as it will be a major employer.” 

From five recognised recycling companies one year ago, there are now approximately 104 recycling companies and nearly 6,000 informal recyclers. Consequently, one can imagine the jobs they generate. 

Idowu-Adegoke stated, “Recycling is an export-driven industry, and recently we’ve seen an increase in the number of young people exporting products made from recyclable materials.” 

Mr Olalekan Fatodu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stated that the pursuit of a circular economy was one of the government’s strategic objectives. 

“Creating a circular economy is one of the most crucial development partnerships we have in Lagos state, and we are grateful to LAGRA for organising this.” 

The importance of resource management and responsible consumption and production cannot be overstated. I believe that some of LAGRA’s initiatives and actions will lead to methods for combating plastic pollution in Nigeria, with Lagos serving as a model. “If we do not join together to take more serious action on the subject of waste management, resource preservation, and resource management, we will be faced with an additional threat that will be impossible to contain,” he warned.

Entrepreneurs in other African countries are not slacking. A report In June 2020, indicated that Kenya banned the use of single-use plastics in protected natural areas – such as national parks, beaches, and forests.

In response, Gjenge Makers, a company that started out collecting plastic waste to sell to recyclers began environmentally friendly bricks and paving stones. It sells grey pavers for around 8 euros per square meter, while coloured pavers sell for around 10 euros.

The waste is then crushed into small pellets, sorted according to colour, mixed with sand and the desired colour pigment — before being taken onto the production line where they are moulded and put into a hydraulic press. The company now produces up to 1,500 bricks a day with homeowners and schools as clients.

In Nigeria, there are some local initiatives in this regard like the ‘Waste to Wealth’ programme where women collected plastics, cleaned, cut into stripes, and convert them to accessories like bags, mats, and even laptop bags. However many of these are yet to scale.

According to the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), plastic is a human health crisis hiding in plain sight.

The devastating element of this pollution is that when plastics get into the ocean it could take a thousand years to decay. As a result, fish and wildlife consume them and consequently, the toxins from the plastics enter the food chain, threatening human health.

Plastic waste does not only pollute our oceans. Burning plastics in incinerators cause toxic air emissions, leaving people who live close to the incinerators to bear the brunt.