Plastic Waste For Candy

Plastic Waste For Candy 

Abdullahi Kano parked his waste cart by the side of the road, he pressed the air horn mock in his hand, and the popping sounds filled the air: Popopi! Popopi!. The sound is infectious, and soon, children start to emerge from their homes carrying plastic bottles. They giggled and smiled, drawn to the playful noise they gathered around him, one after another they handed him plastic bottles of different beverage companies, and in return, he handed them Alewan Mecca, a pinky local candy in northern Nigeria.  

Abdullahi is a plastic and metal waste collector who left his home in Rijiyar Lemu in Kano State Northwest Nigeria for Lapai, in Niger State North Central Nigeria five years ago when he realized the economic opportunities in waste recycling. 

“I left Kano after a friend, who owns a recycling business in Lapai, informed me about the opportunities in the sector. Since arriving in Lapai, there has been a change in my financial life,” Abdullahi said.

 Luring Children With Candy 

In Lapai, Abdullahi roams from one street to another, using the popopi sound of his air horn to inform the children of his arrival and the Alewan Mecca to lure them into helping him collect plastic waste.

“As a waste collector, I exchange candies with children for plastic bottles, which I then sell to recycling companies in Ikorodu, Lagos State, or Sabon Wuse, Niger State. These companies transform the waste into new products,” he explained. “When I arrive in a neighborhood, I simply press my air horn, and children come out with plastic bottles in exchange for Alewan Mecca.”

The children on Ibrahim Road, Lapai, Niger State, know the days Abdullahi usually comes and before then, they would have collected plenty of bottles from their homes or the neighborhood. Even when they forget, the sound of his air horn reminds them.

“As soon as we hear the sound, we rush outside to meet him with our bottles,” Yukubu Umar, one of the children who exchanges plastic bottles for candy, mentioned. “He usually comes before we head to Islamiyah. Sometimes, I even collect bottles from the drainage where people dump them.”

Removing One Tonne of Plastic Bottles From the Environment Monthly 

According to Shop Without Plastic (2023), approximately 1.6 billion plastic bottles are produced daily, polluting the environment throughout their lifecycle. Improper disposal of these bottles is a leading cause of marine wildlife deaths and contributes substantially to air pollution. Abdallahi Kano collects one tonne of plastic bottle waste monthly, equivalent to 74,074 plastic bottles of 50cl, by incentivizing children with candies to help remove these bottles from the environment.

“It takes me a month to collect one tonne of plastic bottle waste, as they aren’t as heavy as metal waste. I sell a kilogram of bottle plastic waste for between ₦120-₦150, while shoes and other types of plastic waste fetch between ₦150-₦170. Now, I sell them at Sabon Wuse”

 Abdullahi’s collection efforts extend beyond plastic bottles but include shoes and other household items. However, for these more valuable items, he pays the children in cash instead of candies. 

“For heavy plastics, I pay with money because most of these items, like shoes, belong to the children’s mothers,” Abdullahi explained, as he carefully inspected a pair of shoes brought  by one of the children.

Unknown to Abdullahi Kano, his endeavor of collecting plastic waste not only earns him a living but also contributes to saving the world’s biodiversity from the impacts of plastic pollution.