"Muhammad Salisu founded a first-of-its-kind social enterprise in northern Nigeria called etrash2Cash which embodies the use of technology to solve environmental problems in low-income communities. The Sub-Saharan Africa region generated 174 million tonnes of waste in 2016, at a rate of 0.46 kilogram per capita per day. It is the fastest-growing region, with waste expected to nearly triple by 2050. Further, about 69% of waste is openly dumped, although the use of landfills and recycling systems is becoming more prevalent. Underdeveloped waste management infrastructure may become a growing sign of global inequity as climate change advances. The open dumpsites in poorer countries can pose multiple hazards in the form of deadly landslides — which may be exacerbated by weather events — or pollution in waterways (1).
eTrash2Cash collects a variety of wastes, such as plastics & papers, from thousands of low and middle-income earning communities and commercial hubs in Kano through scrap dealers and mobile waste managers using technology, and exchange those wastes with direct cash incentives. They use the web, mobile app, and SMS technology to exchange wastes for direct cash incentives. eTrash2Cash also makes use of all wastes collected from communities to make reusable and sustainable end products, such as trash bags for cleaning companies & government agencies from plastics.
Overall, their work helps to reduce pollution in various forms, reduces flooding in local communities, reduces deforestation, and mitigates the effects of climate change. All the trash is taken to a centralised processing centre and is converted into pellets - the plastic raw material that can be used to make other plastic material. Some pellets make biodegradable trash bag and some shopping bags that are sold to earn revenue."
