Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola is the CEO and co-founder of Wecyclers, a
company that offers waste collection and recycling services to
Lagosians. She speaks with DOYIN ADEOYE on what it takes to run a
recycling business among other issues.
What exactly influenced Wecyclers?
Wecyclers is a social enterprise, and the idea came from a class I took in business school, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where I was exposed to the issues people face in countries like Nigeria. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, about 70 per cent of Nigerians live in poverty. We face a lot of issues such as lack of access to finance, poor environmental sanitation and waste management systems.
So we wanted to turn waste management from being a problem, because many people live in very dirty environments where drainages are blocked; they are exposed to mosquitoes and sorts. All of these are because waste is not managed properly. Waste is a resource; it is a currency. It is valuable, so we wanted to teach people that instead of living in such environment, they could actually take control of the situation by making money from the waste.
So how does it work?
We designed cargo-bicycles that we deployed in communities around Lagos to pick up waste. So we tell people to separate their waste; they separate their plastics, bottles, pure water sachet and cans, so when we go and pick up the waste from them, we weigh it and for every kilogramme of waste they give to us, they get points. As the points accumulate, they can then exchange the points for something, choosing from one of the different items we have which ranges from plastic bowls, toasting machines, pressing irons, and even things that can empower them like generators, sewing machines and even cash.
So people are using it as a way of empowering themselves and we have several people that engage with us within the communities; those who don’t have any job see it as an opportunity to earn something.
Was it easy convincing people to partner with you as regards their waste?
It wasn’t. We actually targeted the grassroots because we felt that the people in the rich areas already have adequate waste collection system. So it is the people in the poor areas that need it. Many of them were very sceptical initially when we approached them and that really shocked me, because they actually throw this waste away. But when we told them we needed them to keep the waste for us, they felt we wanted to scam them.
So we had to spend a lot of time building their trust, talking to them and we even get members of their community that believe in us to talk them. Whatever we say we would give them, we ensure that we do so. And having done that consistently for some time, there is a lot of trust now.
How does the recycling process actually work?
We collect different kinds of waste ranging from plastic, metals, glass and papers; it varies widely. Recycling is a process of converting waste and reusing it to make a new finished product. So a recycled bottle could be converted to shoes, t-shirts, jeans and even into another bottle. It is a rich business and Nigeria being a country that imports, if we can just harness this, it is a sector that can turn into wealth for the country.
Despite the increased awareness, people’s attitude towards waste disposal is still not encouraging. What do you think still needs to be done?
Nigerians need to be reoriented because many people are not well exposed to proper waste disposal practices. People don’t really know about it and even when they know, because the culture is not there, they are not used to it. So as pioneers in the field, we need to continue to sensitise people and I believe that many people will change.
For instance, since we started partnering with people on waste management, many don’t even care about the incentives anymore, they have come to realise that a healthy environment makes for a healthy living. A lot of people have had different perspectives to the environment through the programme. So with enough sensitisation, people will do better.
Also government needs to enforce these environmental laws. Even though the laws are on the book, many people don’t know about it. So government needs to do more advocacies and let people know.
Did you start Wecyclers to solve environmental issues or were you just interested in the business side of it?
We didn’t look at it from the environment angle, but rather as a means of empowerment. We wanted to help people manage their waste, so it was a combination of making the environment clean and also empowering people. And then the business comes in. So there is the environment, empowerment and business all fused into one.
Do you think it is actually possible for any society to achieve a zero waste?
Absolutely. I was in Antiope, Belgium in September 2015 and they were doing a 70 per cent waste reduction, focusing on recycling and all. Their goal now is zero waste. This same goes for many European countries. So I believe it is also possible for Nigeria. We are at 10 per cent, I believe that if a target is set and increased over the years, people will work together and we will achieve it.
How do you think waste recycling can help Nigeria’s dwindling economy?
It will really help to boost our economy. I remember in the last research I did, America in its waste and recycling sector, employs about three million people. America is a country of about 300 million population, so that makes one per cent of the population.
So, I believe that the waste recycling sector in Nigeria can solve unemployment issues because it is a big employer of youths and women. More people need to be engaged in waste management across the country and I also think government needs to open up the entrepreneurship opportunities for people.
On the average, how many households partner with Wecyclers?
At the moment, we are working with 9,000 households in Lagos State in the three years we’ve been doing this. And our goal is that by 2017, we should be able to get to at least 300,000 households.
How do you think Nigerian youths can be encouraged to engage more in eco-friendly businesses?
They need to be encouraged by seeing examples. So people like us that are excelling in such businesses need to make them aware of the opportunities involved. What actually encouraged me was seeing people that have been there and engaging with them, it has helped me a lot.
I also think that providing them with support to start such businesses is essential. For instance, a young person that has graduated from school with no job needs funding to start up any business. I am on the board of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and this is one thing that I am actually excited about, as the Lagos State government is going to tackle the problem of youth unemployment squarely and promote entrepreneurship. And I think other states should follow this lead.
Wecyclers is a social enterprise, and the idea came from a class I took in business school, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where I was exposed to the issues people face in countries like Nigeria. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, about 70 per cent of Nigerians live in poverty. We face a lot of issues such as lack of access to finance, poor environmental sanitation and waste management systems.
So we wanted to turn waste management from being a problem, because many people live in very dirty environments where drainages are blocked; they are exposed to mosquitoes and sorts. All of these are because waste is not managed properly. Waste is a resource; it is a currency. It is valuable, so we wanted to teach people that instead of living in such environment, they could actually take control of the situation by making money from the waste.
So how does it work?
We designed cargo-bicycles that we deployed in communities around Lagos to pick up waste. So we tell people to separate their waste; they separate their plastics, bottles, pure water sachet and cans, so when we go and pick up the waste from them, we weigh it and for every kilogramme of waste they give to us, they get points. As the points accumulate, they can then exchange the points for something, choosing from one of the different items we have which ranges from plastic bowls, toasting machines, pressing irons, and even things that can empower them like generators, sewing machines and even cash.
So people are using it as a way of empowering themselves and we have several people that engage with us within the communities; those who don’t have any job see it as an opportunity to earn something.
Was it easy convincing people to partner with you as regards their waste?
It wasn’t. We actually targeted the grassroots because we felt that the people in the rich areas already have adequate waste collection system. So it is the people in the poor areas that need it. Many of them were very sceptical initially when we approached them and that really shocked me, because they actually throw this waste away. But when we told them we needed them to keep the waste for us, they felt we wanted to scam them.
So we had to spend a lot of time building their trust, talking to them and we even get members of their community that believe in us to talk them. Whatever we say we would give them, we ensure that we do so. And having done that consistently for some time, there is a lot of trust now.
How does the recycling process actually work?
We collect different kinds of waste ranging from plastic, metals, glass and papers; it varies widely. Recycling is a process of converting waste and reusing it to make a new finished product. So a recycled bottle could be converted to shoes, t-shirts, jeans and even into another bottle. It is a rich business and Nigeria being a country that imports, if we can just harness this, it is a sector that can turn into wealth for the country.
Despite the increased awareness, people’s attitude towards waste disposal is still not encouraging. What do you think still needs to be done?
Nigerians need to be reoriented because many people are not well exposed to proper waste disposal practices. People don’t really know about it and even when they know, because the culture is not there, they are not used to it. So as pioneers in the field, we need to continue to sensitise people and I believe that many people will change.
For instance, since we started partnering with people on waste management, many don’t even care about the incentives anymore, they have come to realise that a healthy environment makes for a healthy living. A lot of people have had different perspectives to the environment through the programme. So with enough sensitisation, people will do better.
Also government needs to enforce these environmental laws. Even though the laws are on the book, many people don’t know about it. So government needs to do more advocacies and let people know.
Did you start Wecyclers to solve environmental issues or were you just interested in the business side of it?
We didn’t look at it from the environment angle, but rather as a means of empowerment. We wanted to help people manage their waste, so it was a combination of making the environment clean and also empowering people. And then the business comes in. So there is the environment, empowerment and business all fused into one.
Do you think it is actually possible for any society to achieve a zero waste?
Absolutely. I was in Antiope, Belgium in September 2015 and they were doing a 70 per cent waste reduction, focusing on recycling and all. Their goal now is zero waste. This same goes for many European countries. So I believe it is also possible for Nigeria. We are at 10 per cent, I believe that if a target is set and increased over the years, people will work together and we will achieve it.
How do you think waste recycling can help Nigeria’s dwindling economy?
It will really help to boost our economy. I remember in the last research I did, America in its waste and recycling sector, employs about three million people. America is a country of about 300 million population, so that makes one per cent of the population.
So, I believe that the waste recycling sector in Nigeria can solve unemployment issues because it is a big employer of youths and women. More people need to be engaged in waste management across the country and I also think government needs to open up the entrepreneurship opportunities for people.
On the average, how many households partner with Wecyclers?
At the moment, we are working with 9,000 households in Lagos State in the three years we’ve been doing this. And our goal is that by 2017, we should be able to get to at least 300,000 households.
How do you think Nigerian youths can be encouraged to engage more in eco-friendly businesses?
They need to be encouraged by seeing examples. So people like us that are excelling in such businesses need to make them aware of the opportunities involved. What actually encouraged me was seeing people that have been there and engaging with them, it has helped me a lot.
I also think that providing them with support to start such businesses is essential. For instance, a young person that has graduated from school with no job needs funding to start up any business. I am on the board of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and this is one thing that I am actually excited about, as the Lagos State government is going to tackle the problem of youth unemployment squarely and promote entrepreneurship. And I think other states should follow this lead.
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