EcoFuture development challenge, Nigeria

Project name: ECOFUTURE

Project location: Nigeria

Website: http://www.ecofuture.com.ng

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/EcofutureNigeria/?pnref=lhc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EcofutureNig
 

Project description:

EcoFuture is addressing the development challenge of waste management and unemployment by offering sustainable and convenient recycling services to low/middle income households and business establishment including private and government sector while creating grassroots jobs and economic partnerships.

Goal and purpose of the project:

Our innovative household and business establishment collection service has reduced the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and in communities. Previous efforts to solve this problem focused mainly on the use of sanctions, however through our incentives program, we provide our subscribers with an extra income source which makes recycling attractive.

Since December 2014, EcoFuture has registered over 1,000 households and business establishment for our collection service in four (4) Benin City, Edo State neighbourhoods, built 15 operational smart sensor waste bin, collected over 200 metric tons of recyclable materials, prevented the emission of about 214,000Kg+ of CO2 into the atmosphere, created over 10 jobs and rewarded our subscribers with over $5,714.8 worth of gifts and cash prizes.

However, we do not intend to stop here, by 2020 we intend have collected up to 10,000 Tons of recyclable waste, created over 150 jobs and empowered over 3,000 women by organizing them into recycling cooperatives.

Social impact measurement:
(1) Number of green job creation.
(2) Tons of recovered waste from the environment.
(3) Tons of waste collected for recycling activities.
(4) Potential recyclers increase by 200% on a yearly basis.
(5) Clean and hazardous free environment by 100% monthly.
(6) Improve quality of life of vulnerable communities involving recyclers and social responsible companies.

Motivation of the applicant / applicant team:

Destiny is a biochemistry graduate with a passion for recycling. Seeing the number of Nigerian university graduates, she was struck by how difficult it would be for them all to get the white-collar jobs they were hoping for. Destiny quickly realized that youth need to create jobs for themselves and decided to start a social business.

Having done research on waste management and recycling, she knew that unmanaged landfills and illegal waste dump- sites were leaving residents of Edo State, Nigeria, at risk of blockage, erosion, pollution and disease spread.

The only solution currently available was private waste collection, which was too expensive for most low-income residents in the region. Driven by the will to change this, Destiny founded EcoFuture.

Use of prize money:

We will use the price money to assemble and install waste compactor recycling plant in our factory at Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria.

This will increase our factory production capacity from 1,000kg/ day to 4000kg/ day.
(1) This will generate more revenue.
(2) Employ four (4) new workers.
(3) Increase Indirect jobs by 100%.