Key information
Main city: Lagos, Nigeria.
Scope: City/town level
Lead organisations: Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL)
Timeframe: 2021 – ongoing. The project is essentially ongoing, subject to an annual progress review.
Themes: Neighbourhood and district economic development; Climate change; Economy and finance; Informality; Public administration and governance; Waste management
Funding sources: Heinrich Böll Stiftung (registration and organisational support). Budget: 500,000 Naira (GBP 900) per year subject to annual progress review. Finance invested to date: 1 million Naira (GBP 1,803).
Approaches used in initiative design and implementation:
- Adapting to a changing policy environment.
- Adopting online and digital strategies popular amongst other stakeholders.
- Improving the visibility and recognition of waste pickers.
- Strategic efforts to semi-formalise and integrate waste pickers into waste management systems.
- Strategic engagement with government agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
- Working towards the independence and strengthening of waste pickers associations.
Initiative description
Background and context
Waste management and recycling constitutes a major challenge globally. Notably, in underserved communities in the global South, informal waste pickers essentially provide the main form of solid waste collection, thereby providing widespread public benefits, as they achieve high recycling rates. This is especially the case in areas that are difficult to reach for authorities, such as coastal and remote areas, where informal waste pickers provide a very valuable service.
This is clearly the case in Lagos, where informal waste pickers are at the core of material recovery and recycling efforts, contributing significantly to local economies, public health and safety, and environmental sustainability. The contribution of informal waste pickers within Lagos’ material recovery value chain is very significant, and their activities permeate all segments of the municipal waste management system in the state. Historically, informal waste workers were the mainstay of commercial recycling in the city, long before recycling became a global environmental concern (Salau et al., 2017; Heinrich Böell Stiftung Nigeria, 2018).
However, and despite this, informal waste workers in Lagos suffer from low social status. They are located at the bottom of the waste management pyramid, work in deplorable conditions and receive little support from authorities. In some wealthier neighbourhoods, they have even been labelled as criminals. Waste pickers in Lagos also increasingly face persistent challenges of competition from influential corporate entities and business risk from authorities. Single, centralised policies are a particular threat to their livelihoods and this was the case with the launch of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative in 2016-17 (see below).
Contestation in waste management in Lagos is often politically motivated and backed by state-generated policy. Major contestation in waste management in Lagos has to do with governance (Ezeah and Robert, 2014). According to the revised National Policy on Environment (1999), solid waste management in Nigeria falls within the jurisdiction of the third tier of government, which is the local government council. However, in Lagos, the state government oversees the regulation and operation of formal waste management through the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and, based on state policy, specifically the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.ds 4 3 FR GBD
The 2016-17 Cleaner Lagos Initiative was a hastily introduced policy by the then governor of Lagos which brought about the privatisation of the entire waste value chain (formal and informal) in Lagos, with virtually no consultation from the public or existing actors (Heinrich Boll Stiftung Nigeria, 2018). To achieve this, the state government hurriedly passed the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law (2017), which claimed the ownership of all waste in the state, breaching existing contracts with waste collection participants. The initiative resulted in the privatisation of state-created dump sites, thereby bringing restrictions to public spaces that once gave free access and means of livelihood to dumpsite scavengers and waste pickers, among others.
As a result of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative policy, the operational role of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority was reduced, while regulation, collection, transportation, material recovery and disposal were bundled up and given entirely to Visionscape, a foreign private environmental utility company (Owoeye, 2018). This led to an outcry and a legal tussle, as the business and investments of stakeholders were at risk (Heinrich Böll Stiftung Nigeria, 2018; Alabi and Wolmuth, 2019). Furthermore, this unilateral action by the government left the whole waste sector scattered, with the waste situation in Lagos becoming unbearable (Heinrich Boll Stiftung Nigeria, 2018). The private sector participants, who are relatively large-scale local waste management enterprises with strong political ties in Lagos, were victorious at the courts and, together with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, emerged as the winners (they got their roles back); while Visionscape and the informal dumpsite actors were the losers.
This situation motivated a significant number of informal waste pickers, as well as various existing waste pickers groups (which were basically for business support rather than advocacy purposes) to begin to make efforts at coming together – aiming to better organise, challenge their marginalisation and enhance their recognition.
Summary of initiative
The Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL) initiative seeks to strengthen the collective voice of informal waste pickers in Lagos, in order to enable them to participate more favourably in the city’s waste management system.
Building the capacity of informal waste pickers in Lagos and Nigeria to engage with the authorities and other stakeholders is of utmost importance because this is instrumental to them challenging their marginalisation and enhancing their recognition. Informal waste workers and recyclers in Lagos face numerous constraints in the course of their work. Amongst others, these challenges include: exploitative supply chains, with waste pickers receiving unfair prices for the recyclable waste they collect; price fluctuations for recyclables which negatively affect waste pickers’ earnings; lack of recognition and of financial support by authorities; and absence of basic amenities to support their work (Alabi and Wolmuth, 2019; Heinrich Böll Stiftung, 2020). Waste pickers and informal recyclers need to be empowered to progress from the bottom of the supply chain, through access to education in the form of financial literacy and other social services, and particularly by ensuring their voices are heard in relevant policy reform processes (Heinrich Böll Stiftung, 2020).
The impact of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative on their livelihoods led to a realisation among waste pickers in Lagos of the need to unite and organise. Two civil society organisations, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, a foundation with headquarters in Germany, and Rethinking Cities Initiative, a Lagos-based urban development forum, have joined hands with them to support their efforts to organise and speak with a united voice to other stakeholders in Lagos’ waste management system. This is in addition to mobilisation and training efforts by larger informal worker organisations in Nigeria and internationally, notably the Federation of Informal Workers Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON) and the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, a global networking platform supported by Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising (WEIGO). This coalition has succeeded in largely uniting and organising a significant number of waste pickers into a single major association, which has significantly served to promote the work and interests of informal waste pickers, as well as increase their recognition by authorities and other stakeholders (see “Effectiveness/success” section below). This is despite the existence of other waste pickers’ associations that are contending with ASWOL for legitimacy.
Although there had been earlier attempts by waste pickers in Lagos to come together to gain better recognition by authorities, these groups had been small and insufficiently united or organised to get the desired attention. However, the impact of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative motivated a stronger sense of unity amongst the waste pickers and also prompted increased support and financial backing from civil society for organisational support, such as building a verification website and organising workshops and meetings, which together strengthened the waste pickersʼ unity. They were able to form a larger, more united association and succeeded in registering as a corporate entity with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission – the latter had previously proved challenging, due to bureaucratic and financial bottlenecks. Funding from Heinrich Böll Stiftung supported registration and organisational support as well as capacity building measures to empower the association. Rethinking Cities assisted with taking things forward by supporting the association to develop a website and facilitating their engagement with authorities and other stakeholders.
It was particularly important to establish an online presence for the waste pickers’ association because most other significant stakeholders in waste management in Lagos have a significant online presence. Also, government authorities are inclined towards the adoption of technology in waste management, as it gives an impression of advancement. Therefore, developing a website for the informal waste pickers was particularly important, as it aligns with the leanings of authorities and other stakeholders, whilst also addressing the safety and security concerns (see “Effectiveness/success” section below) and enhancing the visibility and recognition of waste pickers.
Target population, communities, constituents or "beneficiaries"
Around 3,700 individual waste pickers have registered with ASWOL. However, the targeted population is all informal waste pickers in Lagos, estimated to be about 15,000 (Salau et al., 2017). The benefits they derive from coming together into an organisation is that they have stronger bargaining power and in so doing are able to reduce the exploitation which previously they were experiencing. Additionally, they have gained better recognition from government authorities, thereby increasing their potential of being licensed and essentially growing into semi-formal enterprises.
ACRC themes
The following ACRC domains are relevant (links to ACRC domain pages):
- Neighbourhood and district economic development (primary domain)
- Informal settlements
- Safety and security
- Youth and capability development
The ACRC domain most relevant to this initiative is the neighbourhood and district economic development domain, because waste pickers are a significant part of household microenterprises (HMEs), which are the main focus of the domain. HMEs are essentially individual/family-led businesses operating significantly from the home of the entrepreneur. Waste pickers constitute HMEs, being usually owner-operated enterprises, with the entrepreneur’s home often serving as a storage, changing or processing facility.
The youth and capability domain is also relevant because many waste pickers are young adults. The safety and security and informal settlements domains are also relevant because ineffective waste collection is a safety issue, as it leads to flooding, and many waste pickers live in informal settlements.
The following ACRC crosscutting themes are also relevant (links to ACRC domain pages):
Gender
This initiative makes a contribution to gender issues, as although an underlying assumption exists that most waste pickers are male, there are a significant number of female waste pickers.
Finance
The work of waste pickers, if well managed, will significantly contribute to urban public finance, through revenues generated from taxes and waste recycling.
Climate change
Waste pickers significantly contribute to recycling efforts, which help to address climate change concerns.
What has been learnt?
Effectiveness/success
Success entails two aspects. Firstly, in general terms, it involves successfully bringing together informal waste workers who were working individually, largely out of sight and without recognition, into a single cohesive organisation with significant potential for impact. Secondly, and particularly from the perspective of ASWOL, success is the improved recognition of the work of informal waste pickers as well as the importance of their activities, based on their improved organisation. This recognition has facilitated the better engagement of informal waste pickers with authorities and other stakeholders in the waste management and recycling system in Lagos. Whilst efforts at better recognition by and engagement with government authorities and other stakeholders still persist, progress made so far has given waste pickers a much higher potential to participate in the waste management sector in Lagos than was previously the case.
Success for this initiative significantly overlaps with the catalysts for urban reform defined by the ACRC.
The improved organisation of waste pickers constitutes a form of organised citizens ready to pursue reform.
The coalition of waste pickers and a local and an international NGO form the basis of a reform coalition able to push forward reform.
The basis of a change in policy in waste management in Lagos, as represented by the Cleaner Lagos Initiative as a motivation for the formation of informal waste pickers organisation and the collaboration between waste pickers and NGOs, indicates a politically informed and coproduced project design.
Efforts by government authorities to license and work with other relatively recent actors in waste management in Lagos, such as the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) and Lagos Recyclers Association (LAGRA), with which waste pickers have a level of engagement, represents a level of enhanced state capacity.
The lessons from the failure of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative and the subsequent willingness of government authorities to engage with recent small-scale actors in waste management and recycling in Lagos, as well as recent growing emphasis on recycling and support of internet-based service providers by authorities in Lagos, demonstrates considerable elite commitment.
The initiative has recorded significant success. The basis of this assessment is that, prior to the initiative, informal waste pickers were working individually and on the margins, with barely any recognition by government authorities or other stakeholders.
This is particularly evident in the implementation of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative and the subsequent related contestations, in both of which waste pickers barely featured, their activities and voice completely relegated. It was this episode that motivated the waste pickers to come together and form ASWOL and, following this, Lagos waste pickers have increasingly gained recognition amongst stakeholders in the city’s waste management sector and have a growing voice, both locally and internationally.
Specific key achievements include:
- Coalescing of a coalition to push forward the interests of informal waste pickers in Lagos, comprising an international NGO (Heinrich Böll Stiftung) and a local NGO (Rethinking Cities) working together with local waste pickers.
- Organisation of informal waste pickers in Lagos into a central association, the Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL), which has successfully been registered as a corporate entity with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission, thereby enhancing the official recognition and visibility of waste pickers, as well as their potential capacity to negotiate favourable terms with official authorities, such as the Lagos Waste Management Authority and other stakeholders.
- Development of a website for ASWOL, which serves to further improve the visibility of waste pickers and provide them better recognition. The website is also aimed at “semi-formalising” the operations of waste pickers in Lagos and providing a means of verifying waste pickers working in Lagos by government authorities and the general public, thereby addressing the safety and security concerns put forward by government authorities against the activities of waste pickers (Olatunji, 2022; Mohammed, 2022).
ASWOL has gained increased recognition (Ali, 2022). It is now recognised by significant organisations in the waste management ecosystem in Lagos, such as the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA). It has been invited to participate in forums organised by FBRA and other organisations and is trying to collaborate with these organisations. FBRA was formed voluntarily in 2018 by four large corporate organisations, as the first national producer responsibility organisation (PRO) in Nigeria and is regulated by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). FBRA is charged with implementing the extended producers' responsibility on plastics and packaging material and plays an independent central role within the waste management system, with a focus on funding post-consumer plastic recovery.
Due to its improved organisation, ASWOL has been able to engage with the Lagos Recyclers Association (LAGRA), whose members are technology-based social enterprises mostly operating in plastic recovery in Lagos, and mostly licensed by the Lagos state waste management authority.
Because of its improved organisation, two members of ASWOL were able to travel to Nairobi, Kenya in March 2023, to join waste pickers from 19 other countries for the commemoration of International Waste Pickers Day, organised by The International Alliance of Waste Pickers, a global networking platform supported by Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising (WEIGO). Read the statement by ASWOL (pdf) from the commemoration.
Understanding limitations
Challenges encountered include funding, which was overcome by support from Heinrich Böll Stiftung. The funds invested in the project are seemingly relatively small, especially compared to the number of beneficiaries. However, in the light of the limited incomes of waste pickers in Lagos, especially considering their challenging working conditions as well as competing priorities and an initial lack of conviction of the success of their solidarity, the funds and support provided were a significant rallying point for waste pickers. Without this additional motivation, it is very unlikely the progress made so far would have been possible.
Coordination of waste pickers was another significant challenge, and this was significantly overcome by the organising efforts of HBS and Rethinking Cities.
Arguably, the most significant challenge is that ASWOL is not yet fully integrated into the formal waste management system in Lagos. Although considerable progress has been made in this regard, there is still some way to go. Key issues include political factors, such as the risk presented by competitive formal sector enterprises as well as some alternative waste picker organisations with significant political ties and patronage links to government authorities. Through these, government authorities still seek to directly or indirectly impose control on the waste management system for political and other benefits. Another issue, linked to the previous, is systemic in nature; it largely has to do with the focus of government authorities in Lagos on central/government provision or control of public service provision, including waste management. Continued efforts at addressing these challenges are a key reason behind the ongoing nature of the project.
Potential for scaling and replicating
There is considerable potential for scaling up the initiative, with plans already ongoing to register a national body of waste pickers in Nigeria, drawing on the success and experience of ASWOL in Lagos. The major challenge to this is funding to organise meetings, workshops and trainings and to pay for registration and website development.
Participating agencies
Further information
Further resources
- Main initiative website
- Video: Rethinking Lagos – 2021 International Waste Pickers' Day
- The Guardian Ng: ASWOL website launched to verify genuine waste pickers
- Daily Trust: 3700 Captured As Waste Pickers Unveil Website In Lagos
- Independent.ng: Waste Management: ASWOL Unveils Website To Verify Members
References
Ali, H (2022). “Recyclers urged to ensure safety of their waste pickers”. Nature News 12 August [Available online] (accessed 16 March 2023).
Ezeah, C and Robert, C (2014). “Waste governance agenda in Nigerian cities: A comparative analysis”. Habitat International 41:121-128.
Cite this case study as:
Omoegun, A and Adeboyejo, F (2024). “ASWOL: Inclusion of informal waste pickers into the waste management system in Lagos”. ACRC Urban Reform Database Case Study. Manchester: African Cities Research Consortium, The University of Manchester. Available online.