In a country grappling with waste management challenges, one social entrepreneur is flipping the script — a game-changer turning trash into treasure and creating opportunity from an environmental crisis.
“After that, I became more aware of environmental challenges and became passionate about them. I told myself that whatever I do must have an environmental angle to it,” she told TheCable. While Idehai’s parents were initially unsure about her unconventional career path, they became supportive once they saw the potential impact and, importantly, the revenue.Despite Idehai’s meticulous research, Ecobarter stumbled to a halt twice due to challenges ranging from funding shortages to operational issues and building the right team. But through persistence and stronger financial controls, the initiative has continued to grow and thrive.
Leveraging on people’s preferences for rewards, a mobile and web application was developed where people can request for waste pickup and get paid.Users earn points on their digital wallet and exchange them for cash. Idehai said the purpose of the concept is to encourage people to see the value in waste.
“For the formal collection, we have a mobile and web application where individuals, households, corporate organisations, churches, and anyone else can go on the platform to request a pickup of their wastes. And users are able to earn points in their digital wallet and redeem those points as cash. According to Idehai, WREP is “impact-based, and we are very inclusive in the way we think about our solutions”.She said the company has empowered its workers with access to loans, healthcare, training, and stable incomes that have allowed them to improve their living conditions and support their families.
“We have waste pickers working with us as collectors that are building houses, investing in farms and making profit. Some of these people were only able to access proper healthcare after working with us. We have a lot of success stories of internally displaced women who are now able to put their children in school, take care of themselves and their families through working with us.