MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

Waste+

One-line solution summary.

Waste+ is a social enterprise that do not
see only to waste going into extinct but to be recycled to useful
products which are economical creating opportunities and sustainable means.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

Plastic waste will be collected, properly store, evacuated and processed
into useful building materials through recycling, reuse and composting
to create wealth from waste. The business model ids as incentive based
system which will support and enhance sustainability of women, youths
and vulnerable communities by provide in exchange for Waste school
writing materials, uniforms, Foodstuffs /cooking materials
(gas/kerosene) and sanitary items.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

Nigeria is one of the biggest contributors of solid waste in Africa with an estimated 32 million tons each year of which 2.5 million tones is plastic and the country's disposal, recycling and waste management system is very inefficient, with 70 per cent of plastic and non-plastic waste ending up in landfills, sewers, beaches and water bodies.

Marine and land creatures have died due to the fact that plastic is non-biodegradable and it causes hazards to soil. It also emits toxic gasses when exposed or heated up. It blocks drainage lines and fill up land space causing floods and erosion thereby causing deterioration of the Nigerian roads. Plastics wastes are also harmful to human health; they may contain harmful acids which may lead to death.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Designing an integrated plastic waste recovery model we solution which will reduce the plastic in a state which generate

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

Nigeria generates an estimated 32 million tons of solid waste per year,
one of the highest amounts in Africa. Of that figure, plastic (which are
not Biodegradable) constitutes 2.5 million tons. Managing and recycling
this waste will not only make it go extinct but will help in
contributing to material need by Nigeria housing industry as 300
Million new homes will needed by 2030

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Other: Addressing an unmet social, environmental, or economic need not covered in the four dimensions above

What is the unmet need that your solution tried to address? Why is it important?

Sustainable waste management provides ideal opportunities to collaborate

and work in partnership the wealthy and the poor, the formal and
informal, communities, business, governments and the international donor
community. It help manage the climate and human respiratory system as
Waste is polluting the air we breathe as well. When people have no waste
management services they tend to burn Methane and C02 which is
detrimental to our health.

Our solution's stage of development:

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

We currently have a collection point in (Rigasa) a Kaduna, Nigeria, where we have so far collected up to 1000tons of plastics waste in exchange for cash, foodstuffs and cooking utensil.

Furthermore we have indirect employment for 20 women helping with sorting material which we use for our making plastics bricks and inter-lock tiles and others which we crushed and sell out to keep the business running.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Kaduna, Nigeria

Team Lead:

Olayiwola Yuusf

More About Your Solution

If your solution has a website or an app, provide the link(s) here:

N/A

If you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:

N/A

Which of the following categories best describes your solution?

A new use of an existing technology (e.g. application to a new problem or in a new location)

Describe the core technology that powers your solution.

We employ a mechanical operation where crusher which is operated by a motor crushes the wastes and reduces its sizes. That is the larger pieces of the wastes are broken down into smaller granules. The waste whose weight is more just stays down the container. The waste which is light enough jumps up the thrushes as the crushing process is carried out. At this time, the rack and pinion is operated. The rack and pinion helps to convert the rotary motion of the motor to the linear motion. Hence the rack and the block moves linearly and pushes away the light weight wastes which comes out
of the space at the side of the container.

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Manufacturing Technology

In which countries do you currently operate?

Nigeria

How many people does your solution currently serve, and how many do you plan to serve in the next year? If you haven’t yet launched your solution, tell us how many people you plan to serve in the next year.

We currently at the prototyping stage but we have reach impact of cash in exchange for waste for 600people and have mold 500 pieces inter-lock tiles which are use for test purposes.

We intend to serve up to 5000 people in a year.

What are your impact goals for the next year, and how will you achieve them?

Our impact goal for next year is to reduce waste in our community by at-least 40% at the same time utilizing this waste to mold to bricks and tiles, creating employment and providing avenue for waste exchange to cash or equivalent in value.

For the next 12 months I hope to have get waste bank ready installed in each in about 15 local government if 25 local government in Kaduna where will be our collection point.

How are you measuring your progress or planning to measure your progress toward your impact goals?

In order for us to tracking our progress, we take a step back and look at the big picture, of where we are going and why we started the enterprise.

So each week you will have specific goal on how much plastics is to be collected and when. Having done that we get the following week to work on production.

What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year?

Government regulation on waste

Residents were required to manage their waste reducing and reusing, as
well as disposing of their own waste by burning or burying rubbish on
their own land.

Space Limitations

Because of the how smelly this waste can be a times we might not be able to get open spaces collect, store as possible for waste sorting prior to when we use the waste.

Lack of engagement

To teach people that waste has a value might be quite stressful in rural environment as some wouldn't be willing to adopt the ways as instructed.

Financial barrier

There might be limitations on the budget on paying for every plastic waste in our collection because funds will also be channel in production process.

About Your Team

Your Business Model & Resources

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The HP Girls Save the World Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes

If you selected Yes, explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The HP Girls Save the World Prize to advance your solution?

waste management system which will support and enhance sustainability of women, youths and vulnerable communities by provide in exchange for Waste sanitary items.

Having mention that HP Girls Save the World Prize will be use to advance our solution as we plan to sensitize the rural community we operation in by introducing sex education, personal hygiene for females, creating teen-girl corn corner where they go for counseling and also raising awareness on Breast Cancer and Fistula Disease.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The Pozen Social Innovation Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes

If you selected Yes, explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The Pozen Social Innovation Prize to advance your solution?

We support and enhance youths and vulnerable communities by provide in exchange for Waste school writing materials and uniforms.

We have plans we mount one collector bin in the school of eradicating waste, recycling and creating sustainable means and potential opportunities.

how?

In drivetowards the successful implementation of the recently adopted

Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of ensuring
inclusive and equitable quality education to promote lifelong
opportunity for all, and tackling climate change; has launched an
initiative to help give Nigerian students aid towards boosting their
educational capacity while also promoting plastic recycling and reuse as
units of environmental sustainability.