Stakeholders in Nigeria’s recycling industry have called for a stronger and more coordinated voice to address challenges confronting the sector, including limited access to finance, multiple taxation, poor market access, inadequate infrastructure and policies affecting recycling businesses.
  The stakeholders, drawn from major recycling and waste management associations, made the call at a meeting of the Waste Recyclers Council of Nigeria, where participants emphasised the need to end fragmentation within the sector and build a common platform for engagement with government, investors and other stakeholders.
  
The meeting brought together representatives of the Lagos Recyclers Association (LAGRA), Recyclers Association of Nigeria (RAN), Waste Pickers Association of Nigeria (WAPAN), United Waste Recycling and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, and the Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL), among others.
  Chairman of the Waste Recyclers Council of Nigeria, Babatunde Adebayo, said the council was established to bring together different associations operating across the recycling value chain and ensure that stakeholders no longer worked separately on issues affecting their collective interests.
  
Adebayo said the recycling sector was often narrowly associated with PET bottles, despite the wide range of materials and activities involved in the industry.
  According to him, recycling goes beyond PET, cartons, nylon and other commonly recognised materials, stressing the need for greater public understanding of the scope and economic importance of the sector.
  
He also called for greater recognition among associations within the industry, noting that leaders of recycling bodies were sometimes present at conferences and industry events without being properly acknowledged.
  “If we are not recognising ourselves among ourselves, then why would other people recognise us?” he said.
 
 Adebayo said the council was expected to play a broader role in shaping the future of the recycling industry and making the sector attractive to younger generations.
  He urged stakeholders to begin to see recycling not merely as a means of survival but as a viable and sustainable sector capable of creating employment, wealth and long-term business opportunities.
  
Secretary-General of the council, Victor Okunola, took members through developments since the council’s previous meetings, including efforts to strengthen its structure, improve its visibility and advance its registration process.
  Okunola said the council had held several meetings since its first gathering in 2023 and had continued to expand its membership and activities.
  
He said discussions at previous meetings had focused on the council’s registration, funding structure, membership and the review of its constitution.
  According to him, a committee had also been constituted to carry out a holistic review of the constitution, with member associations expected to participate in the process.
  
Okunola said the meeting was particularly important because the council was moving towards consolidating its structures and strengthening its role as a platform representing the broader interests of the recycling industry.
  A member of the Board of Trustees of the council, Dr Oluwafemi Idowu Adegoke, traced the origin of the council to concerns about the fragmented nature of the recycling industry.
  
Adegoke said stakeholders had realised that different associations were facing similar problems but were addressing them independently.
  According to him, operators were often working in silos, creating a situation where businesses and associations lacked the collective strength needed to negotiate better opportunities and protect their interests.
  
He said the absence of a united front had made it easier for off-takers and other players to offer different prices and conditions to operators within the same industry.
  Adegoke, who has spent about 25 years in waste management and has experience in both the private and public sectors, said collaboration was essential to the growth of the industry.
  
He described waste as a resource rather than merely something to be disposed of, stressing that recyclable materials had economic value that could create opportunities across the value chain.
  The meeting also drew attention to the role of waste pickers in Nigeria’s recycling system.
  
National Vice-President of the Waste Pickers Association of Nigeria (WAPAN), Modupe Adelaja, said waste pickers were at the frontline of the recovery of recyclable materials from communities across the country.
  She said the activities of waste pickers were crucial to the recycling value chain, as they collect, recover, sort and aggregate materials before supplying them to recycling businesses.
  
According to her, materials recovered by waste pickers include PET bottles, HDPE, polypropylene, aluminium and other metals, paper, cardboard and other recyclable materials.
  Adelaja said without an efficient collection and recovery system at the community level, a large volume of recyclable materials would end up at dumpsites or in the environment.
  
She said WAPAN was seeking stronger collaboration with the Waste Recyclers Council of Nigeria, particularly in the areas of policymaking, market access, investment and financing.
  She added that the association’s vision was to ensure that waste pickers were recognised, protected, organised and integrated into the circular economy.
 
WAPAN, she said, has more than 10,000 members operating across the country. Beyond the individual presentations, participants at the meeting repeatedly returned to the issue of fragmentation in the recycling industry.
  It was observed that associations and businesses sometimes approached government agencies and other institutions separately to discuss identical issues, a development stakeholders said weakened the industry’s bargaining power.
  
Participants argued that the formation of the council could help create a common platform through which associations could collectively engage government on policies, taxation, finance, standards and other matters affecting the sector.
 The meeting also highlighted concerns about the growing involvement of foreign investors in Nigeria’s recycling industry and the difficulties faced by indigenous operators in accessing finance.
 
Members of the council also noted that recycling required substantial investment in collection, transportation, warehouses, machinery, processing facilities and other infrastructure, but many local operators lacked access to the funding required to expand their businesses.
  The stakeholders maintained that the sector had significant potential for job creation and economic development and should receive greater recognition from financial institutions and government agencies.
  
Multiple taxation and levies imposed on recycling businesses were also identified as major concerns.
  Participants called for a more coordinated approach to taxation and regulation, arguing that recycling operators should not be subjected to overlapping charges from different levels and agencies of government.
  
The issue of standards and professionalism within the sector was equally raised, with stakeholders calling for better organisation of recycling businesses and waste workers.
  There were calls for the development of clearer standards that would strengthen the industry, improve accountability and ensure that genuine operators were properly recognised.
  
The stakeholders also discussed the need for Nigeria to move beyond the collection and export of recyclable materials towards greater local processing and manufacturing.
  They noted that materials such as plastics, paper, metals and other recyclables could generate greater economic value when processed locally.
  
They called for increased investment in recycling infrastructure, research, laboratories and technology that could help identify, classify and process recyclable materials.
  The discussion also focused on the need for improved data on the recycling sector, material traceability and stronger collaboration between operators, government regulators, local authorities, producers and development partners.
  
Adebayo said the council’s objective was not to replace the mandates of individual associations but to provide a platform through which they could collectively pursue issues of common interest.
  The meeting also featured the introduction of representatives of member associations, the reading and adoption of the minutes of the previous meeting, discussions on membership strength and updates on the registration of the council.
  
As the meeting progressed, one message remained consistent: Nigeria’s recycling industry needed to organise itself better if it was to take full advantage of the economic opportunities available within the circular economy.