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ECOWomen Series 1: Recycling Sachet Water Nylons, Getting Ahead with Waste

World of Business	771 VIEWS
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Thursday, March 04, 2021 / 11:33AM / Ayomide Oguntoye for WebTV / Header Image Credit: WebTV

"The rivers are choked with it, the gutters are stagnant with it, the trash cans are filled with it, even the dunghills are clogged with it; waste product, but interestingly, some people recycle and upcycle these products and make a living out of it".

Adejoke Lasisi, the founder of Planet3r, is a Nigerian Fashion Designer who makes fashion products with recycled water sachet, popularly known as pure water nylon and textile waste.

In a recent conversation, she provided insight into her journey as an entrepreneur, converting waste to wealth opportunities.

According to her waste management has always been a major concern as it constitutes an immense environmental challenge in Nigeria. The statistics show that over 15% of these municipal solid wastes are generated from plastic and nylon.

Describing her journey into the waste management industry, Adejoke said she started as An Aso-Oke maker but her concern for her community that was littered with waste products, particularly sachet water nylons inspired her to source for an innovative way to find a solution to the problem.

While organic wastes pose a lesser danger to the environment as they can easily decompose, waste nylons and plastics pose serious environmental issues and nuisance to the environment, because they are non-biodegradable.

Without prior knowledge in waste management, Adejoke resolved to search for innovative ways to recycle waste through reviewing YouTube material on the subject. This informed the merging of her skills in Aso-Oke weaving and the recycled waste into something meaningful.

When describing the process of production, Adejoke said that the process requires four (4) stages, after sourcing for the waste products; the stages include sorting, sanitization, drying, followed by shredding, and lastly weaving.

Relating her challenges, the founder of Planet3r said it was about convincing people that waste products can be safe and healthy if managed and treated properly. However, she said there has been some level of sensitization to change the previously poor narrative.

The Environmentalist went on to highlight the benefits of recycling, noting that it was beneficial to the economy as much as it was to the environment, as it helped to reduce the quantity of non-biodegradable waste in communities.

She further mentioned that waste recycling could unlock opportunities in Nigeria, such as jobs, youth empowerment, and revenue for the government.