Source: SmartMonkeyTV | Published on July 31, 2016
Bilikiss Adebiyi, co-founder and CEO of Wecyclers in Nigeria talks about how the idea for her business started in an MIT class; how the service works; the incentives people receive to recycle; how it works financially for this social enterprise; and her ambitions for the business.
About Bilikiss Adebiyi
Bilikiss Adebiyi is an inspiring Nigerian social entrepreneur and founder of WeCyclers. Her company offers waste collection and recycling services to the Lagos informal settlements, where an estimated 66% of Lagosians live. As a part of the process, residents are offered an incentive for collecting their household waste which is picked up for free by Wecyclers using specially adapted bicycles. To create incentives among low-income households to participate, rewards are given to them for every kilogram recycled, via points sent by SMS. These points are then redeemable against goods they value, such as cell phone minutes or basic food items. The rewards have been funded in partnership with big brands such as Coca Cola and GlaxoSmithKline.