Lagos, Nigeria faces a sobering waste crisis that will only worsen as the city’s population of 18 million people continues to soar. The overburdened municipal government collects only 40% of city garbage, and a mere 13% of recyclable materials are salvaged from landfills. People living in slum conditions without formal waste collection are subject to increased flooding, disease spread, and psychological stress that results from unmanaged trash heaps. Concurrently, recycling firms in Lagos face a supply constraint—they cannot access an adequate supply of quality materials to process. One large recycling firm is operating its factory 50 to 60% below capacity. Wecyclers gives low-income communities in developing countries a chance to capture value from waste and clean up their neighborhoods through incentive-based recycling.
Something looks off?