By Olaolu Fawole
In the city of Ibadan and other major cities in Nigeria, heaps of plastic bottles and used nylons are no longer seen as waste.
As science, innovation, and human redefine waste recycling, a quiet revolution is transforming trash into wealth.
For years, many towns in Nigeria have battled environmental pollution as a result of overflowing dumpsites.
However, the story is changing daily due to growing environmental awareness and innovative recycling models.
With the introduction of mechanical recycling, composting, e-waste recovery, and even waste-to-energy technologies, waste is being reimagined as a resource that can fuel both economies and cleaner environments.
At the core of this movement are end users of plastic bottles and informal waste collectors who collect, sort, and sell recyclables for survival.
Plastic recycling companies are now integrating these collectors into formal systems, providing safety gear and fair prices.
It is worthy to note that this kind of labour and technology is not only cleaning cities but also providing job opportunities.
On the part of the recycling industries, they have found creative ways to make waste valuable.
Plastics and nylons waste have been turned into furniture, bags, tiles, or packaging materials, while organic waste are being processed into fertilizer.
While recycling in Nigeria still faces some teething problems such as poor waste segregation, weak infrastructure, and unstable markets, experts have called for friendly policies, to sustain recycling and make it a long-term profitable business.
Turning trash into cash is not just a child’s play, but a science-driven path to Africa’s cleaner, circular future.
Every bag of sorted waste is not all about income; it is a climate action, an avenue for job creation, and local industry rolled into one.
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