Selection Nigeria
Solid Chemicals Recycling Limited
Solid Chemical Recycling Limited is a sustainably focused, technology backed plastic recycling company. Their core business involves recovering used PET plastic from the ecosystem and converting this recovered waste into secondary raw materials by sorting, crushing/granulating, cold-washing, strapping belt manufacturing using the raw material and packaging for export. Through this project, Solid Chemical Recycling Limited aims to tackle plastic pollution in Nigeria, while creating and improving waste recycling jobs for youth and women.
The Problem
Globally, Nigeria is ranked ninth for plastic pollution, with an estimated 2.5 million tons of plastic waste generated annually and less than 12% recycled. This means that 88% of plastic waste is dumped in land and waterways, resulting in overflowing drainages due to blockage of water channels, as well as environmental pollution and disease outbreaks. Waste management (especially plastic waste) is a huge source of revenue in most developed parts of the world and can provide a solution for Nigeria’s persistent youth unemployment problem.
One of the greatest challenges is that most youths are not attracted to the waste management industry as they regard the jobs as low esteem. On the other hand, many youths, especially those from rural farming communities with little or no academic qualifications report losing hope of ever acquiring a decent job and a steady employment. Young women and men from low-income families, having no opportunity of acquiring a basic primary or secondary education wish to earn a good income and show eagerness to work in waste industry.
The Solution
Through this project, Solid Chemicals Recycling Limited aims to provide decent jobs for both the rural and the urban youth with a focus on women. This will be done by improving the company’s recycling capacity and scaling its waste collection points across Nigeria. With 30 collection points with a minimum of 10 direct staff in sorting, cleaning, loading, and trucking, 500 youths will be mobilized into waste collection through community sensitization, and factory operations will be expanded with about 200 workers. This will create a minimum of 1,000 direct jobs.
To make the waste management industry more attractive for youth, job quality and status will be prioritized and addressed through training and provision of modern gadgets, Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs), and other social benefits to workers. Finally, the project addresses low earnings by offering a salary of 50,000+, above the Nigerian minimum wage, and facilitates internal job placements, allowing employees to progress higher-paying roles based on gained experience.
Additionality
The CFYE grant will enable the company to increase its waste collection points to about 30, with the capability of expanding the waste collection by over 120 tonnes per month from the current 50 tonnes. The project will be able to create visibility around the waste collection points as well as sensitize nearby communities, mobilize over 500 youths in waste collection, and engage about 200 workers in the factory due to increased recycling.
Without CFYE funding it will not be possible to achieve this expansion even within the next 5 years.