Project

Plastic Recycling Program (PReP) in Nigeria

Context

Nigeria ranks among the top ten global plastic waste polluters, facing a growing environmental crisis. Each year, the country generates an estimated 32 million metric tons of waste, including an estimated 2.5 million metric tons of plactic, much of which ends up in waterways, streets, and informal dumpsites. Lagos alone produces approximately 13,000 – 15,000 metric tons of solid waste daily.

This environmental challenge disproportionately impacts low-income communities, where inadequate waste management systems contribute to frequent flooding, serious health risks, and missed economic opportunities. At the same time, Nigeria’s informal recycling sector employs thousands of waste pickers and aggregators, most of whom operate without formal business structures or stable income.

Without strategic intervention, unmanaged plastic waste will continue to pose serious threats to the environment, public health, and local ecosystems.

Opportunity

Across Nigeria, millions of men and women depend on the collection, aggregation, and recycling of plastic waste as a primary source of income. Most of these informal waste workers live in poverty, working long hours in unsafe and unsanitary conditions for very low and unpredictable earnings. Without protective equipment, social safeguards, or stable demand for the materials they recover, many face daily risks to their health and safety while providing a critical environmental service to their communities.

However, with improved coordination, investment, and support for value chain actors, Nigeria could dramatically increase PET recovery and recycling rates, creating safer, more dignified work while reducing plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The strategy

The Plastics Recycling Program aims to strengthen Nigeria’s recycling ecosystem so that it becomes more profitable, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable, while creating safer and better livelihoods for informal waste workers. The program’s goal is for the plastics recycling industry to generate dignified economic opportunities and reduce plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. 

The program follows a three-tiered approach:

• Community Engagement: Training Local Community Trainers (LCTs) to promote behavior change, raise awareness on plastic waste management, and support aggregators in formalizing their operations through government registration and capacity building.
• Market Linkages: Connecting aggregators directly with plastic recyclers and introducing transparent, performance-based payment models for collectors, ensuring immediate and tangible economic benefits.
• Enterprise Support: Providing technical training, business development services, working capital, and equipment—including trucks, balers, weighing scales, and PPE—to improve operational capacity and safety.

After launching in the southern regions of Lagos and Anambra, a 2025 study identified an opportunity for expansion to Kano State, one of Nigeria’s most populous states, home to over 16 million people. With low alcohol consumption and high demand for soft drinks, Kano generates a significant amount of beverage-related plastic waste, making it a critical hub for PET recovery and recycling efforts.

A further study conducted in 2026 examined the PET regulatory landscape to identify actionable policy recommendations and assessed the demand side of the value chain to uncover how pricing mechanisms and off-taker structures shape material flows. This phase also included a detailed quantification of Nigeria’s PET collection and recycling rates. 

These studies are actively being used to inform the implementation of the second phase of the program’s implementation. PReP 2.0 will engage recyclers, government agencies, and financial institutions to strengthen coordination, expand investment, and improve the enabling environment for recycling. It will co-develop a roadmap for a safe, inclusive, and profitable waste management sector while supporting recyclers to invest in supply chains and collaborate with local authorities to improve policy and operating conditions. Upstream, PReP 2.0 will provide collectors and aggregators with the safety equipment, financial training, and working capital necessary to professionalize their operations, increase PET recovery, and improve local livelihoods.

Results

The implementation of the second phase of the program in Nigeria aims to: 

• Increase the total amount of PET waste collected 
• Improve incomes for informal workers by 20%
• Impact nearly 15,000 livelihoods through safer, more reliable economic opportunities
• Mobilize co-financing from ecosystem partners (e.g., recyclers, financial institutions, private actors) 
• Distribute 2,400 units of PPE (e.g., gloves, goggles, footwear) to enhance safety during collection 

Considering the impact of the studies’ findings, the Foundation has decided to scale to other countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and drive improved waste collection and recycling in the region. 

Partners

Funder: Coca-Cola Foundation