For years, Ade, a local community leader in Lagos, has been working tirelessly to build support for waste collection and recycling in his neighborhood. Despite his dedication, he repeatedly hits roadblocks from limited funding to inconsistent local engagement. Ade’s struggle reflects a larger issue affecting waste management initiatives across urban Nigeria: Are these programs driven by a genuine intent to change community behaviour, or are they primarily focused on commercial gains?

A similar challenge emerged for the Bottles for Books initiative by Chanja Datti, an intervention aimed at empowering children in underserved communities to pay school fees through waste collection. Initially inspired by seeing young children out of school at local dump sites, this program sought a practical solution to connect waste recycling with education. However, as Olufunto Boroffice, Chanja Datti’s founder, notes, they encountered barriers in aligning their goals with the community’s immediate needs and values, realising the importance of realistic, community-centred objectives rather than large, unattainable targets focused uniquely on generating revenue.

Waste management is increasingly becoming a global concern, particularly in rapidly growing urban centers. Cities like Lagos, Nigeria, are at the epicentre of this challenge, where population and economic growth contribute to massive waste generation. With over 13,000 tonnes of waste generated daily, relying solely on state infrastructure is impractical. Both state and non-state organisations have had to intervene. However, the funding and focus of these interventions raise a critical debate: Should waste management interventions prioritise commercial goals, or should they focus on behaviour change within communities?

While these may appear to be competing priorities, each has merits, and the future of sustainable waste management lies in integrating both approaches. However, adequate funding is needed in both cases to do so.

The case for commercial goals

Critics argue that commercial goals in waste management interventions prioritise profit over community welfare. However, corporate involvement has significantly contributed to waste management in cities like Lagos, where the government struggles to meet demands, with corporate entities accounting for 65 percent of initiators.

Corporate participants in the waste management value chain, including producers and recyclers, play crucial roles in reducing costs and demonstrating sustainability compliance. This involvement not only benefits companies’ bottom lines but also contributes to environmental goals by diverting waste from landfills and promoting circular economy practices.

One could argue that if the commercial sector is willing to inject its resources into waste management, then why not allow them to prioritise profit? After all, market-driven approaches can often create efficiency where government-led or purely altruistic interventions fail. In a world where resources are scarce, aligning commercial interests with environmental sustainability can accelerate waste management solutions without over-reliance on public funding.

From a pragmatic perspective, businesses are often motivated to innovate in ways that reduce waste at the source. For example, through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, companies are held accountable for the post-consumer waste generated by their products. This compels them to create more sustainable packaging solutions or engage in product redesign. In this light, corporate involvement with commercial goals can be seen as an essential driver for waste reduction. However, there’s a downside: focusing solely on commercial goals risks sidelining essential community needs and behaviours.

The case for behaviour change

Waste management goes beyond collecting waste. It requires changing how communities perceive and handle waste. Without this behavioural shift, even the most well-funded corporate interventions may fail to achieve sustainable results. Behaviour change within communities is crucial for long-term success, as waste management is a collective responsibility that requires buy-in from individuals and households.

NGOs and public-sector interventions are promoting behaviour change through community engagement programs, focusing on education, sensitisation, and capacity building. These programmes teach communities about health hazards of poor waste management and encourage households to sort and recycle their waste. These interventions empower communities by creating sustainable waste management solutions and instilling responsibility among members.

Chanja Datti’s Bottles for Books initiative exemplifies this approach. The program empowers families to use recyclable waste to cover school fees, instilling a sense of ownership while addressing both educational and environmental challenges. This approach emphasises starting with “realistic, measured goals,” a strategy that has proven more effective than aiming for large, unattainable targets.

However, behaviour change is a slow and expensive process. It requires sustained efforts over years, if not decades, and often involves overcoming entrenched attitudes and practices. Without adequate funding, these programs are likely to falter. Financial incentives, such as cash rewards for recycling or penalties for improper waste disposal, are often necessary to drive initial engagement. But such incentives are costly, and securing stable funding for long-term behavioural change initiatives is a constant challenge.

The effectiveness of behaviour change interventions also depends heavily on context. In urban slums or densely populated informal settlements, for instance, waste management may be a lower priority compared to immediate survival needs. In such cases, behaviour change efforts must be coupled with broader socio-economic support to be successful.

Funding: The common battleground

At the core of the debate between commercial goals and behaviour change is the issue of funding. According to the Circular Business Platform’s survey, many waste management interventions in Lagos are self-funded by corporate entities, while others rely on grants or support from family and friends. Corporate interventions, driven by business goals, are more likely to have consistent funding streams. However, these funds are often tied to the company’s strategic interests, which may not always align with broader public needs.

Behaviour change initiatives, particularly those led by NGOs and community groups, frequently struggle with inadequate funding. These programs typically rely on external grants, which are often short-term and limited in scope. Moreover, behaviour change interventions require a level of investment that exceeds the budgets of many grassroots organisations.

The role of common-interest funding pools

To bridge this gap, there is a growing call for the creation of common-interest funding pools that can support both commercial and behaviour change interventions. Such funds could be generated through mechanisms like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes or multilateral donor initiatives or Ultimate Producer Responsibility (UPR). These pools would ensure that all stakeholders, including corporations, governments, and communities, contribute to and benefit from waste management interventions that could offer stable resources for sensitisation programs while supporting genuinely sustainable business practices.

Common-interest funds could prioritise behaviour change efforts, which are often neglected in favour of quick, commercially driven solutions. By providing stable, long-term funding for education and sensitisation programmes, these pools could help create the conditions necessary for deep and lasting behavioural shifts. At the same time, they could support businesses that are genuinely committed to creating sustainable waste management practices.

Conclusion: A balanced approach

The debate between prioritising commercial goals and behaviour change in waste management interventions is not an either/or question. Both approaches are necessary and complementary. Commercial goals bring efficiency, innovation, and much-needed resources to waste management efforts. However, without a focus on behaviour change, these interventions risk failing to address the root causes of poor waste disposal practices.

For waste management interventions to succeed in cities like Lagos, a balanced approach is required. This involves creating integrated solutions that combine the strengths of corporate investments with the long-term impact of community engagement and behaviour change. The establishment of common-interest funding pools is a critical step in this direction, ensuring that all stakeholders (corporate, public, and community) are equally invested in the outcome.

Ultimately, waste management is not just a technical issue; it is a social one. For interventions to be sustainable, they must go beyond profit-driven goals and foster a culture of responsibility, accountability, and sustainability within communities. For dedicated community leaders and initiatives like Bottles for Books to succeed, it’s essential to provide stable, long-term funding that encourages collaboration across sectors. By institutionalising a common pool fund and linking organisations more closely, resources and knowledge can be better shared, amplifying the impact of each initiative. This approach also emphasises working closely with community leaders, a factor found crucial for gaining local support and building lasting change.

 

Olulope Omoyeni; Lead, Community Development, Administrations and Research Circular Economy Innovation Partnership.