Plastic waste has constituted a major threat to the existence of life on this planet as we know it. Wildlife and aquatic life are threatened by poor usage and disposal of plastic waste, as hundreds of species are lost each year because of poor plastic disposal. Developing countries contribute majorly to the plastic waste in the world with Nigeria the 8th largest country responsible for the mismanagement of plastic waste, generating about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste – the second highest on the continent, while recycling less than 10% of this waste.
Authorities and market sellers have found the task of organizing the African market a herculean task, as a result of sellers of various commodities taking up temporary commercial locations to display and sell their wares and poor waste disposal systems. These temporary locations are disorganized and uncomfortable for these sellers, they set up large umbrellas in these locations which are not durable and have to be replaced or heavily repaired numerous times a year, driving up business costs.
We have developed FOLDIE, a durable and easy-to-use 360-degree collapsible mobile stall, made of recycled plastic, and sawmill waste that presents market sellers a cheap means of displaying their wares, offering protection from the elements, while helping with better waste management and aiding space management and organization in the Nigerian market. It has panels made of wood-plastic composite (WPC) which are supported by metallic telescopic poles, with a solar panel at the top to provide energy to cater for their basic electrical needs and a waste collection compartment.
With our ingenious go-to-market strategy, we have a projection to lock down 25% of the Nigerian market which will lead to ridding our environment of over 2 million tonnes of PET plastic bottles and 175,000 tonnes of polyethylene water sachets. These are conservative figures that could be much higher once we diversify into general WPC manufacture and even much higher when we scale to the larger African market. With this, we would be doing our part to advance the mission towards a circular economy by recycling plastic that would otherwise have been improperly disposed of, alongside recycling and reusing other WPC products once they are no longer usable.
With our company, we are not just starting a business, we are starting a movement, a strategic movement to eliminate plastic waste from Nigeria, and Africa as a whole.
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