Follow Us on Google
Traditionally, Kebbi State is renowned for rice farming, cattle rearing, and fishing. This signature, however, has started changing following the emergence of the recycling business.
In many parts of the state capital today, recycling business has surfaced and many families are feeding fat on it. Interestingly, what was once abandoned, ignored or looked over as waste has emerged as the pillar of many family incomes in these difficult times.
In Birnin-Kebbi, the capital of the northwestern state, old and disused plastics or related items have become treasures of gold. Men and women, young and old, have all jumped on the bandwagon of plastic collectors and seekers of used scrap cartons, which they assemble in large quantities for onward delivery to recycling companies or their middle men and agents in exchange for a mint of cash.
Bashir Kamba, assistant manager, Global Company, a company devoted to scrap collection located at adjacent to Bayan Kara Market, revealed that he has zero regret specializing in the recycling business, instead of venturing in other business.
He stated that he has been in the business for the past 10 years and explained that, aside from making money, through the business, he has contributed immensely to the cleaning of the environment.
According to him, “Though people perceive us as scavengers, scrap collectors dealing with the dirtiest things, beneath these dustbins we are contributing our quota to employment generation and the cleaning of our environment”
“Now, all these young boys you saw a few minutes ago are collecting plastic bottles and abandoned cartons from different places. Hardly will you see empty plastic bottles in the state capital anymore. You will only see used nylons and sachets of water, because nobody is requesting for them for now.
“What these boys usually do is that they first take it to our agents who have the weighing machines. Our agents buy it from them. Thereafter, our agents, with their weighing machines, measure the quantity delivered and then bring them to us here and we too will buy from them and process the items for onward transportation to recycling companies in Lagos” he explained.
“In a week, we can transport two trailers of plastic to recycling companies in Ijebu, Abeokuta and Jebba.
Each trailer can convey 25 or 28 tonnes of compressed plastic bottles and cartons” he disclosed.
“If not because of bad roads, we should be able to send more trailers in a week to the recycling companies outside the state, he added.
Speaking on workers’ salaries, Kamba said they are daily workers, adding that his company started operations with four staff ten years ago and he’s grown to a total of 15 staff
“The general public underrates this business, but we are providing jobs for youths. In our company here, we pay wages. Any worker working with us is entitled to be paid between N3,000 and N5,000 per day. It is a capital-intensive business as you can see, “ he stated.
Other News
“Here, we use diesel for our generators, we don’t use NEPA at all. Once we start our operation, there will be no interruptions until we finish our production.”
Kamba recalled their major challenges as frequent disturbances from the officials of Kebbi Urban Development Agency (KUDA) and the lack of recycling companies in Kebbi and Sokoto States.
For the Kebbi Urban Development Agency (KUDA), he disclosed that they usually “disturb them” over public display of waste products, explaining that if there were recycling companies in Kebbi State or Sokoto State, there would have been little or no need to send these disused products to Ogun or Lagos through the bad roads and acrossthepresent danger in many parts of the North.
He advised youths in the state to have the courage to embrace private jobs and personal businesses instead of seeking government jobs that cannot go round.
Similarly spaeaking, Jamilu Dalh who is a staff of another waste collection company opposite Central Market, Birnin Kebbi, explained that the sectors major challenges included lack of electricity and recycling companies within the state.
Dalh, who has been in the business for the past eleven years, noted that government could create l more jobs for youths if they establish recycling companies.According to him, at least a standard recycling company can engage up to 200 workers.
“I am married now, I am feeding my family and we are making profits. A lot of youths are now getting their daily meals through the sale of plastic bottles and cartons to us” he declared.
While speaking on the recycling business, the National Chairman of Grassroot Advocacy for Peace and Good Governance (GAPAG), Muhammad Anache, noted that the recycling business has the potential to improve incomes at the grassroots, reduce blockages of sewage, gutters, and waterways.
According to him, “The recycling of plastic bottles and other items is one of the many achievements that can positively enhance the income of rural communities from the grassroots whom I represent”
“This is a business that needs little or no capital to start. The picking up of used plastic by low-income earners, including children, requires not much physical energy.
“If you observe very well, this will reduce crime in our society. This kind of trading easily engages teeming youths, and also transporters who convey the plastic to either Lagos or Ibadan will be fully engaged.”
Anache explained that if all stakeholders team up to ensure the recycling process reaches its climax, there will be a clean and healthy environment for human habitation, and healthy people, which would reduce government expenditure on environmental health-related challenges.
