
Meet the Wecyclers —
Wecyclers is a Lagos-based startup using an incentive-based program to deal with the waste problem in Lagos, the Nigerian megacity where more than 18 million people live.

Turning trash into cash —
Launched by Nigerian entrepreneur Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola a year and a half ago, the company has now some 5,000 households subscribed to its service.

Using a fleet of low-cost cargo bicycles, the startups collects the waste from local people and then sells it on to recycling factories.

Households that subscribe to Wecyclers have waste collected once a week, and the service is free.

Incentives for effort —
In order to encourage people to sort rubbish, the company gives them points which they can redeem for items like blenders, irons or soaps every three months.

Dreams for the future —
At the moment, most rewards come from donations as the company is yet to turn a profit: "We hope that as we grow and add value to the material we sell then we hope to see profits come in - but now, we are not making profits," says Adebiyi-Abiola.

Social responsibility —
Abiola says that her incentive for starting the company has been a desire to improve the living conditions of people in low-income areas.