BTU Master's student creates jobs in Nigeria and successfully combats plastic waste

Five years ago, Nnodim Eliot Wogu came to Germany to study and came across the German deposit system. "I was initially convinced that I could earn money with my own plastic and glass bottles," he reports. "I conscientiously collected all my deposit bottles and then took them back to the supermarket when I went shopping. Until someone explained to me that it was my own money I was getting back there," he says with a laugh.

Inspired by this, Nnodim Eliot Wogu began to develop a platform to promote the recycling of waste in his home country of Nigeria. Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest consumption of plastic in Africa. According to the Nigerian Economic Summit, 2.5 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year. Less than twelve percent of this plastic waste is recycled. The majority ends up in landfills and dumps, collects on the streets and later ends up in the sea. "There is no public waste collection service," says Nnodim. "So I came up with the idea of copying the German system, where private individuals bring their plastic bottles back to the store." He began developing the "Trashcoin" initiative. Since the project was launched in August 2022, 4,000 people in Nigeria have used this smartphone app to exchange money for plastic bottles.

How Trashcoin works:

People who have enough space at home or in a store can register as a collection point in the Trashcoin app. Once you have collected a sufficient quantity of bottles, you can contact the nearest recycling plant via the app, which will then collect the full bags. This system gives collectors the chance to earn 150 euros per ton of plastic.

There are also rewards in the app for those who bring their bottles to the registered collection points. A predetermined amount is credited to their account. Anyone can either transfer this credit to their bank account or use it directly for various expenses, such as paying electricity bills, health insurance or school fees. This incentive not only funds recycling, but also offers participants practical benefits in their everyday lives.

So far, the app is available in three Nigerian cities: in the capital Abuja, in Lagos and in Port-Harcourt, where Nnodim has now also opened its own recycling plant. Plastic bottles are sorted, washed and shredded there. A total of 192 people are currently employed directly by the company. Some of the recycled plastic is processed into bricks or mattresses in Nigeria, for example.

Nnodim, which has just been provided with an office by the start-up center at the BTU in Cottbus, is working on establishing its service in other Nigerian cities and abroad. "Our solution could also be used for the German plastic deposit system and would save tons of paper bills that are printed by the deposit machines," he is convinced.

In 2021, Nnodim moved to Cottbus to immerse himself in the world of environmental (waste) management at BTU. The Master's degree in Environmental and Resource Management (ERM) has broadened his view of sustainability: "The Municipal Solid Waste course, for example, was very useful in understanding how highly developed cities manage their waste. I drew some new ideas from it that will be part of the next update of our mobile software."

After completing his ERM studies at BTU, Nnodim wants to dedicate himself fully to making Trashcoin a global company. For students who are also toying with the idea of starting a company, he has the following tip: "Focus on solving a real problem or fulfilling a need. Start small, get feedback and then keep working."