Everyday in Nigeria, people walk past piles of refuse plastic bottles clogging gutters, nylon bags blowing in the wind, and heaps of waste burning by the roadside. We’ve become so used to it that it hardly shocks us anymore.
But make no mistake: Nigeria has a serious waste problem, and it’s only getting worse. At the heart of this problem is our failure to embrace recycling.
Nigeria generates an estimated 32 million tonnes of waste every year, with plastic making up a significant portion. Yet, only a tiny fraction around 10% is ever recycled. The rest ends up in our streets, our rivers, and in many cases, our lungs when it’s burned.
This is more than just an environmental issue. Poor waste management is hurting our economy, our health, and our quality of life. Flooded streets caused by blocked drainage, rising cases of respiratory illness from burning waste, and the loss of biodiversity in our rivers and oceans are all signs that we cannot continue like this.
But here’s the truth: recycling is not just about saving the environment. It’s also a missed economic opportunity.
Across the world, recycling is big business. In countries like Germany, South Korea, and even South Africa, recycling creates jobs, fuels innovation, and generates billions in revenue. Nigeria has a young population, a growing tech scene, and millions of unemployed youth we have all it takes to build a thriving recycling industry.
There are already small signs of progress. Startups like Wecyclers in Lagos and RecyclePoints in Port Harcourt are showing that recycling can work. They are creating jobs, rewarding households for sorting their waste, and keeping plastics out of our environment. But these efforts are still too few and far between.
What’s missing is strong government support. We need clear, enforceable policies on waste separation, producer responsibility, and investment in recycling infrastructure. Local governments must stop treating waste as a nuisance and start treating it as a resource. Our schools should be teaching the next generation how to recycle. Our markets and communities should have easy access to recycling points.
And we, the people, must change our mindset. Recycling starts at home with the decision to separate plastic from food waste, to reuse what we can, and to stop treating the environment like a dumping ground.
We are at a tipping point. If we continue on this path, the consequences will be devastating. But if we act now, recycling could help clean our cities, create jobs, and protect our health.
The choice is ours. Let’s make the right one.
