Nigeria - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

The project involves installing Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) in coastal cities across Nigeria to manage recyclable waste (plastics and cans) effectively and mitigate urban flooding by reducing the amount of these wastes that gets into the environment

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Ecobarter Technology designs and manufactures innovative, technology-enabled waste management devices that reward users for recycling. The company's vision is to bring sustainability to people and the planet by transforming how people consume and manage waste Our core product is a digital platform accessible via mobile or web app accessible at www.ecobarter.africa that enables users to request waste pickups and earn redeemable points, generating income for both users and waste workers. To complement our digital platform is our indigenous first-of-its-kind Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), which encourages on-the-go recycling. This not only encourages recycling but also significantly reduces plastic pollution and mitigates urban flooding by preventing waste blockages in drainage systems.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

According to the World Bank, Nigeria generates approximately 32 million tons of solid waste annually, with only 20-30% adequately managed. Ecobarter addresses Nigeria's critical waste management problem,where 70% of households lack access to formal systems, leading to open burning, dumping in open landfills or at best engaging the services of informal waste collectors. These prominent practices pose a significant threat to public health causing 100,000 child deaths yearly, as reported by UNICEF. Improper waste disposal creates mosquito breeding grounds contributing to Nigeria's high malaria burden, with almost 200,000 annual deaths. These practices not only impact public health but also escalate climate change risks such as flooding.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

One of the major benefits of our solutions is it helps reduce the risks associated with climate change. We intercept the waste at source before it gets into our drainage system, thus reducing the chances of flooding. This also cuts down the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or gets burned, both of which produce harmful greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. By encouraging recycling, we are able to process recyclables as raw materials for manufacturing companies thereby resulting in lower energy consumption compared to the energy required in production of new materials from virgin resources. Furthermore, our Waste Pickers Empowerment Program (WPEP) creates employment opportunities, particularly in the informal waste sector. By integrating informal waste pickers into the core of our operations, we formalize their roles and give them access to decent work.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

We have three categories of target beneficiaries: the users, the collectors and the customers. The users are individuals, households, organizations and groups in urban and suburban communities who generate over 0.5kg of solid wastes or reuse/recycle less than 10% of their waste daily and are without access to a sustainable waste management infrastructure. The collectors are mostly underserved youths and women in urban and suburban communities who already work in the sanitation/waste industry but earn less than minimum wage and are often disenfranchised, without a clear path to transition out of poverty. The paying customers are manufacturing companies who use wastes as raw materials in their production chain and require a steady supply of non-contaminated, properly sorted post-consumer waste materials.

01.05 When was your company established?

2024-03-07

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

No

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

1

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

1

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Not applicable

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.ecobarter.africa

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

Other: Waste Management and Environmental Services

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

Through our Waste Pickers Empowerment Program (WPEP) and Waste to Resource Empowerment (WREP) initiative, we have had a significant impact towards ending extreme poverty. WPEP encompasses the identification, training, and ongoing support of waste workers, beginning with a three-month literacy development program. After a successful completion of this program, we facilitate access to national identification registration, establishment of bank accounts, personal protective wear provision, providing a foundation for formalizing their roles. Through WREP, we train and support internally displaced women to transform single use plastic bags to fashion items in order to transition out of poverty. These training sessions cover various techniques, including local weaving methods, to create items such as bags, mats, and fashion accessories from single-use plastic bags. Once trained we also support these women in launching their micro-businesses by facilitating access to markets.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

2

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

2

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

2

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

2

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

3

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

2

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

Through our Waste Pickers Empowerment Program (WPEP) and Waste to Resource Empowerment (WREP) initiative, we have had a significant impact towards ending extreme poverty. WPEP encompasses the identification, training, and ongoing support of waste workers, beginning with a three-month literacy development program. After a successful completion of this program, we facilitate access to national identification registration, establishment of bank accounts, personal protective wear provision, providing a foundation for formalizing their roles. Through WREP, we train and support internally displaced women to transform single use plastic bags to fashion items in order to transition out of poverty. These training sessions cover various techniques, including local weaving methods, to create items such as bags, mats, and fashion accessories from single-use plastic bags. Once trained we also support these women in launching their micro-businesses by facilitating access to markets.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

4

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

Our solution contributes to creating sustainable cities and communities by preventing drainage blockages. By incentivizing waste recycling efforts we initiate a behavioural change that encourages people to embrace sustainable waste management practices. Our nip-in-the-bud approach also significantly reduces the occurrence of open burning and indiscriminate waste disposal, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and plays a role in preserving the air quality.

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

Our solution greatly contributes to responsible consumption and production by processing sorted waste and selling recyclables to manufacturers, supporting a circular economy. This approach minimizes the waste sent to landfills, maximizes recycling and utilizes less natural resources such as fossil fuels for production of plastics

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

The entirety of our startup is built on combating climate change and its impacts. In Nigeria, especially across the coastal cities, indiscriminate waste disposal makes them prone to flooding leading to loss of lives, properties and people being displaced from their communities. We tackle this by making sure we collect the waste post-consumption from the source. Through our platforms we also educate and raise awareness on climate change mitigation and adaptation practices to embrace.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

2

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

5

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

4

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

3

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

4

06.08 Justification for my startup

While there are existing solutions to waste management, our reverse vending machine (RVM) is entirely new in the Nigeria space. This serves as a new technology in the region to improve on our already existing digital platform as well as other solutions available. The RVM is intended to encourage on-the-go recycling

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Chanja Datti leverages door-step incentive-based collection systems in different cities in Nigeria and also builds collection hubs to improve their recovery. However, their operations are majorly manual and they depend largely on the informal collectors for their recovery bottom line. Pakam and Scrapays although they have a technology platform that connects household waste generators to registered recycling collection companies. They do not have recycling collection infrastructure but rely on the enrollment of recycling companies to meet demands from users, often leading to long delays in fulfilling user requests. In contrast, our digital platform provides seamless doorstep waste pickups, connecting users with last-mile collectors within a 1km radius for fast and efficient service. We are also committed to social inclusion by empowering last-mile waste collectors to transition out of poverty. We also recently launched our RVMs to encourage on-the-go recycling

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Through WREP, we train and support internally displaced women to transform single-use plastic bags to fashion items in order to transition out of poverty. These training sessions cover various techniques, including local weaving methods, to create items such as bags, mats, and fashion accessories from single-use plastic bags. Once trained we also support these women in launching their micro-businesses by facilitating access to markets, helping these women sell their products and earn a stable. These women who typically earn between 0 and 33 USD monthly, after completing this training, each woman is expected to earn a minimum $100 monthly,