By ALEXANDER AKHIGBE | DR
This quarter, our story is not just about plastics collected, it’s about resilience, patience, and community rebuilding.
For four years, through your support, the RecyclesPay Educational Project has continued to bridge two urgent crises in Nigeria: education inequity and plastic pollution. Our mission remains unchanged, to ensure children in low-income communities can stay in school by paying their school fees with plastic waste.
But, as with the nation itself, our realities continue to evolve.
Between June and September 2025, schools across Nigeria went on their usual mid-year break, a two-month period that saw reduced in-person activities and, naturally, fewer plastic recoveries. In total, we recovered 216.7 kg of PET plastics, 1.4 kg of sachet waste, 0.5 kg of aluminum cans, and 4.8 kg of cartons across our active schools during the quarter.
Active Schools This Quarter:
While these numbers appear modest, they reflect the continuity of our work in spite of seasonal limitations, schools were closed for August and September, and our storage facilities reached capacity.
With in-school activities paused, our team took the opportunity to ramp up advocacy across all project schools. We engaged teachers and parents in community sensitisation sessions, distributed menstrual hygiene products (pads) to adolescent girls, and renewed conversations about responsible waste management and education access.
These outreach efforts remind us that the RecyclesPay model is more than a waste-to-fees exchange; it’s a social bridge connecting climate action, education, and dignity.
One key insight this quarter has been the urgent need for expanded storage capacity and/or looking for more partners who will take the recovered plastics off us quicker. Our storage facility now reaches capacity faster than in previous months, a positive sign of adoption, but one that challenges our logistics.
We are working toward establishing community-level micro-collection hubs, which will reduce transport costs and allow for faster turnaround between collection and recycling.
As schools reopen in October, we are resuming full-scale pickups and preparing for a strong final quarter of the year. Our focus will remain on:
Despite economic hardship, high fuel costs, and logistical constraints, we remain steadfast in our belief that no child should be denied education because of poverty, and that even one recovered bottle can represent restored dignity.
Your donations continue to make this possible.
Every naira, every kilogram, every child, a step closer to a more just and sustainable world.
Thank you for holding space for hope, one plastic at a time.
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