WASTE RECYCLING: Investment

Opportunity in Nigeria
Posted by Agwu Iyke samson on 5/29/2013 08:42:00 am ENTREPRENEUR
BUSINESS IDEA 23 comments

INTRODUCTION:
Recycling is an economic development tool as well as an environmental tool. With the
quantity of materials are thrown away each day, it is important to ensure that the
recyclable materials are not going to the landfill but to the recycling centers.

Recycling create reduction and offer direct development opportunities for communities
when collected with skill and care, and upgraded with quality in mind. Discarded
materials are local resource that can contribute to local revenue, job creation, business
expansion and the local economic base.

The raw materials are never in short supply as Lagos (and other commercial cities in
Nigeria) is known for its huge generation of waste. From figures available from LAWMA,
9,000 metric tones of waste is generated daily with about 1,200 metric tones being
converted into other uses. This creates room for the establishment of recycling plants in
Lagos and indeed other states of the federation.

In an article published by Daily times Newspaper revealed an example of a recycling

company in Nigeria that made over $61 million from exporting recycled metallic waste.
The Nigerian company, the Sun and Sand Industries Ltd says 95% of raw materials
are sourced from metallic wastes that are recycled for export to manufacture cars and
ship parts. Sheweta Satija Managing Director, Sun and Sand Industries disclosed:
Satija said that since 2005, the company had been recycling metallic waste from Nigeria
for export to high
technological countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, UAE and India, for the manufacture
of cars and ship engines, radiators and other parts.

According to her, recycling is an industry that adds value to the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) of a country that want to create wealth and generate employment (such as
Nigeria).
Satija said that the company, which was recently awarded the Best Exporter of 2011 by
the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.

As one the few companies handling metal commodities in the country, we are 100%
export oriented. We are adding value to the countrys GDP and contributing to the
growth of the economy.
Satija said that the company, with a work force of more than 5000 which is mostly made
up of Nigerians, was determined to sustain the business of recycling in the country.
According to her, recycling of waste not only ensures that the environment is clean, it
also creates jobs in the country and should be encouraged.
The Sun and Sand Industries Ltd, an Indian owned company with its headquarters and
factory in Ota, Ogun state. Made 61.43 million dollars in profit in 2010.
Article source: Daily times Newspaper
Date Published: November 10, 2011
Editor: EMMANUEL OKUBENJI.

Quote: Recycling is an industry that adds Value to the Gross Domestic Product of a
country and is always welcomed by any country that wants to create wealth and
generate employment (such as Nigeria).
Waste recycling here in Nigeria, its an untapped business that if you decide to go into
today you are sure of making your cool money. The fun of it is that you might even
decide to start now without you having necessary capital at hand and still be making
your money from the business.
But in this article Ill be introducing to you polythene (Nylon) recycling and how to make
money from it.

Waste Polythene (nylon) and specific examples

Waste pure water nylon supply business in Nigeria known as waste polythene recycling
is another golden opportunity for serious entrepreneurs. The essence of being an
entrepreneur is the ability to discover opportunity and act on it promptly, and this
business is just such kind of opportunity.

Must read: How to make and earn from hand made liquid soap, how to
start concrete block industry
All what you need to go into this business is information even just as you need a job,
business opportunity or ideas, and here is one, if you are hard working you will need
little or no money to start this business. Information is the backbone of any idea or
better information still information is said to be the mother of all ideas because without
information there may be likely no idea.
In Nigeria just like anywhere else in the world you need to be creative to make money.
Supplying of waste polythene for recycling is a lucrative business, try it and you will
have a testimony to share. Companies, agencies and even the government will be
searching for for investment.

What are waste polythene and specific examples?

Waste polythene is polythene materials that has been used and discarded. Waste
polythene can be transformed into useful raw materials through the process of
recycling. Such waste polythene include pure water sachet, black, white or any coloured
poly bags, nylon used in wrapping new electronics like computer, television sets,
cellphone or pharmaceutical drugs, even bread wrappers and all wrappers made of
nylon.
Wastes are nuisance; yes they are but are also hidden wealth. Nylon bags made from
polythene can all be converted into raw materials that can still be used for production of
product like bathroom slippers, plastic overhead tanks, same nylon, plastic leathers,
plates etc. Now, lets zero in our attention to two types of waste polythene materials.

Types or Categories of Polythene:

The basic types of wastes polythene in this context is categorized into two major types,
namely:
Low density
High density
Low-Density Polythene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic made from petroleum and is
commonly recycled and has the 4 as its recycling symbol. LDPE is defined by a
density range of
0.910-0.940/cm cube.
It is not reactive at room temperature except by strong oxidizing agents, and some
solvents cause swelling.
It can withstand temperature of 80 degree Celcious continousely and 95 degree
celcious for a short time. Made in translucent or opaque variations, it is quite flexible

and tough but breakable. Example of low density materials are pure water sachet and
cellophanes bags.
High Density Polythene (HDPE) or Polythene high Density (PEHD) is a Polythene
thermoplastic made from petroleum. It takes 1.75kg of petroleum (In terms of energy
and raw materials) to make one kg of HDPE. HDPE is commonly recycled, and has the
number 2 as its recycling symbol. An example of high density materials is the one
used in packaging of pure water sachets.
It is important to state that not all plastic is considered economically viable by processor.
Below is the list of materials accepted in the recycling Business:
Shopping bags, laundry bags, pure water sachets, yoghurt wrappers, soft poly bags,
hospital drip bags, pop corn wrapper, bread wrapper, cellophane.
Below is the list of materials NOT accepted for recycling:
Indomie Noodles wrapper, detergent bags, biscuit wrapper, milk sachet, tea wrapper
and propylene bags (but some factories do accept some these forbidden polythene).

How to Earn from Recycling Waste Polythene

With the amount of garbage that people are throwing away each day, it is important to
ensure that the recyclable materials are not going to the landfill but the recycling center.
This creates room for establishment of recycling plants in Lagos and indeed other states
of the federation.
The investor can start the business through the following ways:
Supplier
Collection center operator
Recycler

As a supplier/collector you collect waste polythene materials from different sources and
supplies to the collection center operator who process the materials and sell to the
recycler.

How much can I Earn as a Supplier?

Anyone can make between N30, 000 to N300, 000 monthly supplying waste polythene
or waste nylon. The secret is to start small and gradually increasing your supply
channels or number of plants you supply.
A kilogram of polythene is sold for N30-N50, depending on where you supply. You can
gather and supply about 100kg to 300kg daily. Lets say you are able to get just 100kg
daily, you will be making N30 X N100 = N3000. If only you can make N3000 a day and
work for only 20 days a month, you will be making N3000 X 20 = N60,000. Is it not
something worth living on? You may be wondering how a kg is measured, it is similar to
the normal ones you know.
However there is basically no start up capital needed except optional like transportation
which is quite easy to avoid; locate recycling plant near you, visit them, negotiate and
finally start supplying them and start earning.

Must read: How to Enter international Market

You may carry out more detailed feasibility study to get better understanding of the
business in your environment. Find out things such as address and contacts of all
factories and plants of waste nylon/plastic recycling in Nigeria, when and how to contact
them, the current price for a kg and how to negotiate with them at your preferred price.

This is one of the untapped business ideas in Nigeria that can make you wealthy
forever.

How can I start and Earn as a Recycler?

The recycler recycles the product and make useful to the plastic industries to use.
For recyclers and producers: anyone can establish and start this business as long as
you have the capital. Normally, a small scale recycling plant cost at least N2,500,000
and to be located on at least a plot of land.
While large scale take from N10,000,000 and above. Small scale plants produce
average of 2 tones a day and 2 tones sells for USD953 in International market at
USD1.05 per kg. From preliminary study the return on investment is about 60%.

How to Become a Recycler/Producer

As a recycler there are certain requirements in opening up a recycling business. Each
state and community or city may have different sets of requirements. Therefore, it is
important that you also request additional information from your local government office.

Requirements:

Establish your business. You may want to run it as a sole proprietor, a family coownership, a Limited Liability Company or a partnership. Get a business license
and permit. With any small business, it is important to get a permit in order to
operate your recycling business.
Choose the recyclable materials to process. You can open a recycling center for
all recyclable materials, but you may want to start with recyclable polytene first
especially if you are just starting out and have very limited capital. Then gradually
you should be able to expand to recycle bottles cans, scrap metals, tires and other
recyclable materials.
Get certified. Depending on your states regulations, you may need to register
curbside collection programs, drop-off or collection programs. It is required to get
certification for operators to be able to buy or sell labeled containers.
Find a location that you will use as your processing facility. If you do not plan of
doing the recycling yourself, you can just find a where you can let people drop off
their recyclable materials that you will then take later to the main recycling centers.
This location can be a small stall or warehouse located close to supermarkets and
other commercial locations that will allow you to operate a recycling business. You
may also open up one in your neighbourhood, but check with your homeowners or
local government association to determine if they will allow you to use your home as
a processing facility.
Buy or lease equipment to use. You would need a weighing scale, trucks, huge
bins (one for each type of recyclable materials) and office equipment to help you run
your business.
Research the competition. If your city has plenty of recycling centers, you may
want to research the type of processing they are running. You will be more profitable
or be able to compete if you offer to accept a wide array of recyclable materials as
opposed to concentrate only on one type. People would like to be able to go to just
one location, sort of a one-step to save time and fuel when transporting the
recyclable materials.
Find sources of recyclable materials. Advertise your business by giving handouts
or utilizing bill boards and local newspaper ads.
Anticipate paying certain fees and taxes such as: business license fees, business
tax certificate, federal income tax, state income tax. Check with your payroll taxes.
Check with your state or local government for specific requirements.

Tips:

Research the amount of recyclable materials that go into your landfill. You may
be able to get some information valuable for to see how feasible it is to run a
recycling business.

Connect with bigger recycling centers and establish partnerships with them if
possible. They may need representatives in certain locations so find out if this is an
option for you.

It is unlawful to rig or alter your weighing scale in a manner that you would pay
less.

Some Polythene Recycling Companies in Nigeria

Start now by supplying waste nylon/plastic and other recyclable materials to local
industries in Nigeria and make huge profit.
2/3 of waste recycling companies in Nigeria are located in Lagos state. You can make
some research about the ones nearest to you.
Here Ill list some recycling companies in Nigeria:
NAMPAK NIGERIA PLC
Tel:
+234-014968470
Headquarters Address: 3/7, metal box road, ogba industrial estate Ikeja, Lagos.
Company Description:
Nampak Nigeria PLC is an Africa-based packaging manufacturer. In addition to
packaging needs, the company is a manufacturer of tissue paper products. The
company is also involved in collecting and recycling all types of packaging. It is a
supplier of plastic bottles to dairy industry in United Kingdom, and it also manufactures
folding cartons.
RICHARD NEWMAN INVESTMENT
It was registered in October 2010 for the purpose of recycling waste plastic materials.
Richard Newman is a one-stop solution provider for all your plastic and nylon needs.
The company recycles waste polythene such as:
Pure water sachets
Plastics
Bags
Packing nylon

P.P sacks and any other plastics.

Contacts:
Address: surulere house. 14, surulere industrial street, off Acme Road, Ogba Ikeja,
Lagos.
Phone:

+234-7084719014

Email: info@ricardnewmaninvestments.com
Website: www.richardnewmaninvestment.com
OEBA ENTERPRISE LTD:
Headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
OEBA is a waste recycling firm. It is an international marketing and development
company, marketing a large volume of recycled products from west Africa, trading
significant volumes of third party recycled products and engage in an international
investments and logistics.
OEBA has its offices in Lagos, with Port-Harcourt, Kaduna, Enugu and doula to follows
HOW TO TRADE WITH OEBA
Logon to their website; on

www.oebaltd.com

Click on COMPLIANCE/QUALIFICATION
Then click on the relevant menu to get the necessary requirements.
LAWMA
Headquartered in Lagos and also operate in Lagos.
Tel: 018538601, 07063033310.

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23 comments :
1.

Anonymous5 August 2013 at 09:55

I will immediately grasp your rss as I can't in finding your

email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do
you've
any? Please let me understand in order that I may
subscribe.
Thanks.
Review my blog post :: Bitcoin Robot

Reply
Replies
1.

Agwu Iyke samson5 August 2013 at 13:13

Thanks for your interest in reading my blog
posts. but for the blog subscription you can
subscribe by typing your email into feedburner
box at the top right hand side of the blog. thanks!
Reply
2.

Eco Heating22 August 2013 at 00:20

Green Directory is the most comprehensive directory of the

United Kingdom companies who specialise in providing
environmentally friendly products and services.
Reply
3.

OAWUYI KAZEEM28 November 2013 at 01:38

Thanks a lot guy.The information provided was really

helpful.I have already subscribed to your mails.
Reply
Replies
1.

Agwu Iyke samson2 December 2013 at 02:42

thanks for being an honest reader of this blog
@kazeem
Reply
4.
Anonymous20 December 2013 at 10:49

I have just kick started pure water satchet recycling

company to start production on the 06-01-14. Can you give
me companies that use it for slippers or water tank . Am
located

in

Sapele

Yommy
Reply
5.
Anonymous10 January 2014 at 12:46

Delta

State

Hi @Yommy, I am interested in this business as well. I am

based in Port Harcourt and It seems like there are no such
companies down here. Can it really cost less than 3Million
to kick start the business? I need you to give me details like
from where you bought the machine and training to operate
etc. and if you have started, what are your challenges like
from

collection

to

recycling

and

sales?

enkysteraul@yahoo.com
Reply
Replies
1.

Agwu Iyke samson13 January 2014 at 05:31

Pls send me a private message about this
inquiry
2.
nwaedom gladys19 January 2016 at 09:33

Am also in port Harcourt n will also like to join

this

business..my

email

address

is

nwaedongladys@gmail.com. Will be grateful if u

keep in touch..tnx.
Reply

6.

Joseph Ezeobi21 January 2014 at 06:51

Dear

sir,

Introducing to you: Invent Technopack Nigeria LTD, A

Subsidiary of Invent Group (India and Russia). For your
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Blown Film production and Flexible packaging Conversion
Projects; Roto Molding Projects; Injection Molding Projects;
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installation; training; personnel back up; maintenance and
Machinery and

raw

materials

supply);

and

Related

Technical Services. Please, contact: Mr Kuttan Narayan

Swami, General Director of OOO Invent Services, Moscow,
Russian Federation (CEO/MD,
kuttan@invent-group.ru, tel.

Invent Group, India):

+79857633628;

+74956206204 ; Joseph C. Ezeobi (CEO/MD, Invent

Technopack Nigeria LTD), % Engr Jude Okonkwo, 27 Shop

15, Stella Osholanke street, Off M/M Intl Airport road, Ajao
estate, Isolo, Lagos, Nigeria: josephcezeobi@gmail.com,
tel. 234803 327 4528; 234802 676 1933; 234815 994 4833.
Our clientelle: Small and Medium scale industries; New
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Regular maintenance culture, Environmental friendliness
and
With

Sustained
the

efficiency

of

best

J.C.

operations.
regards.
ezeobi.

Reply
7.

Addison Conroy27 October 2014 at 20:52

Advancments in Investment Opportunity can be linked to

many areas. While much has been written on its influence
on contemporary living, several of todays most brilliant
minds seem incapable of recognising its increasing

relevance to understanding future generations. Often it is

seen as both a help and a hinderence to global commercial
enterprises, whom I can say no more about due to legal
restrictions. Though I would rather be in bed I will now
examine the primary causes of Investment Opportunity.
Reply
8.
Ogonna Okoye21 January 2015 at 07:54

Hello

Sir,

Thank you very much for this inspiring ppiece. I would really
like

to

discuss

more

on

this

matter.

How will i be able to contact you? this is my email address

og_okoye@yahoo.com.

hope

to

get

response.

thank you
Reply
9.
Anonymous5 March 2015 at 10:07

i am interested in the supply of the waste materials, pls how

can i start and where can i supply it to in Nigeria in order in
earn

here

is

living
my

pls.
email:

live

in

Abuja.

ipemidaprincess@gmail.com

waiting to here a favourable response from you Sir,

Thanks.
Reply
10.
Anonymous10 May 2015 at 16:30

I have a recycling factory in Lagos and I can collect any

amount of tons of waste nylon LDPE and HDPE.
My contact: meetsanmi@yahoo.com
Reply
11.
Anonymous11 May 2015 at 11:20

Hi!!! Mr Iyke really appreciate this article, is just like an

answer to my question. I'm seriously interested in this
business. Have been trying to reach you privately but effort
aborted. How can I meet you Sir? I want to talk to you one
on one. Pls reply me as soon as u see my comment. Thank
you

so

You can reach me on my mail stelbor@gmail.com

Reply
Replies
1.

much

Agwu Iyke samson11 May 2015 at 15:24

I'm sorry for not being able to each me. though
we can still chat through mail for now because
i'm still out of reach. thanks!
Reply
12.
Anonymous21 May 2015 at 10:57

We have large tonnes of Polyethylene for sale in Nigeria.

If

interested,

message

me

at

earthexport @yahoo.com
Reply
13.
Anonymous23 October 2015 at 11:54

My

Iyke

Samson

I did read throught your article, fascinating and interesting. it

has

helped

me.

I'm interested in this business. i would ahve love to reach

you

privately

if

you

mind.

How can I meet you? I love to have a one on one talk with
you.
Kindly

reply

as

soon

as

possible

PLEASE

lanrewajuinit@gmail.com or whats app (08033643146)

Thank you so much

Reply
14.

Tmilolwa Olrunln1 December 2015 at 06:03

tam4real47@gmail.com. Recycling and waste management

has been of keen interest to me. But due to limited
information on this and Avenue in Nigeria, I have not been
able to do much. However, this information has helped a lot
thanks. Will be happy to reach you for guide and assistance
to

sail

through

the

process

of

establishment. Thanks.
Reply
15.
Olaniyan7815 December 2015 at 00:42

development

and

I'm extremely interested in the recycling industry cause one

of the first things I noticed when I arrived in the country is
how much waste there is and there wasn't much being done
about it. If anyone would like to liaise with me regarding
going into or starting up in the recycling industry my e-mail
is olaniyan78@gmail.com. I can also be reached on
09052505984
Reply
16.
Yomi15 December 2015 at 15:18

interesting article. This is just what I need. I would like to

contact you, or possibly get to meet you one on one. I need
more

information

on

this.

My

email

ashaoluadesoro@gmail.com
Reply
Replies
1.

Agwu Iyke samson19 December 2015 at 14:20

thanks yomi. you can make use of the contact
page
Reply
17.

nwaedom gladys19 January 2016 at 09:40

Really interested in it n will be very grateful if u can contact

me.I live in port Harcourt n my email address is
nwaedomgladys @gmail.com
Reply
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