On March 22, 2018, American businessman Wayne Huizenga died. He was 80 and had a “trashy” life. Now, that would be disrespectful to the dead except that trash meant everything to Huizenga who built his fortune from it. Many including, waste disposal tycoons, scrap metal multimillionaires and recycling billionaires, have waste to thank for their wealth.
Although trash has an immense benefit to people who treat it as a resource, waste affects all life negatively. This is especially true when it is not disposed of correctly.
According to The World Bank, 90% of waste is openly dumped and burned in low-income countries. This leaves the most vulnerable members of society in danger. Additionally, greenhouse gas emissions from waste contribute to climate change. It creates a domino effect where bushfires destroy habitats, sea levels rise, drainages are clogged, human health suffers, and animals die from contamination.
Studies also show that people throw four times more trash into the garbage bin than in the recycle bin. That is even though a large portion of the garbage is recyclable. So, why aren’t we doing the right thing?
Challenges Nigeria faces in turning trash into a resource
Lack of education and structures to encourage effective waste management are significant challenges to the growth of recycling. Nigeria specifically suffers from structural challenges. This includes rapid population growth, inaccurate planning, lack of data, poor legal framework, poor adherence to existing rules, among others. Therefore to make any significant stride, the country needs more private sector players in the field. That is why organisations like Copackers Recycling are building the structures needed to educate and incentivize people to recycle.
Through the support of public and private investors, Copackers Recycling has committed to tackling Africa’s waste problem, one bottle at a time. It’s doing so by providing a seamless process to recover, sort, crush, produce and redistribute recycled materials. Although it’s still a long journey for Nigeria and Africa, with innovative solutions like Copackers Recycling, the future is bright.
So, what is the dirty truth about trash? Trash is whatever you make of it.