Waste to wealth: The hidden treasure, attraction and the scorn

He doesn’t cut the picture of one that works with a corporate entity as his signature torch and sack give him out as one who has his office on the street. Unlike some entrepreneurs who are not in a hurry to rise early because they are their own bosses, Ebenezer combs the streets of Mowe and its environs in Ogun State as early as 5a.m. every day, scavenging and creating an avenue for his daily bread.

Worried he could sink deeper into the poverty hole with his paltry N7,000 pay as a primary school teacher, Ebenezer, 29, sought direction for his life from God. And, according to the teacher-turned scavenger, he got God’s nod to earn a living by harvesting disposed items on the streets.

As a little boy, he had a sneaking admiration for accounting, but fate had another plan for him. Hear him: “I lost my father when I was about to write my SSCE, he wanted me to be a chartered accountant and I actually liked the course as a kid. When I lost my father, I knew I had to carry my cross myself; I got a teaching job in a primary school where I taught music. But I had to resign because I was struggling to live on my N7,000 monthly pay.

‘‘But since the Holy Spirit told me to start this business, I’ve had reasons to thank God. I feed myself, my mother, and I’ve been able to establish other businesses. For instance, I sell bags, shoes and wears.’’

Asked if he would still study accounting, Ebenezer said, “I want to concentrate on my business. Having more streams of income is my focus.’’

At a dumpsite along the Mowe-Ibafo corridor of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, not even the sickly odour that hung in the air could deter Adebayo from harvesting can and bottles from the mountain of refuse called ‘Bolah’ in local parlance. For Adebayo, many are blind to the wealth in waste.

The 39-year-old Edo-born scavenger said: “Initially, I was shy when I started, but that is now in the past. Some young guys say they cannot do dirty jobs. They believe their fathers have properties. What will they inherit? Which property will they leave for their children? I wish I had started this business long before now. There are big men and women that are into this business, but many people don’t know.’’

He added: “There are things you would not even expect that people would buy and they would come here to request for it. And you won’t believe what we find and resell. As I speak to you now, there are big women who come here as late as 10pm. and 11pm to either buy stuff from us or sell to us because they are shy to be seen with us during day time.’’

On how he began the business, Adebayo said: “I was working with NURTW before I started this business. I was inspired by my boss who died about a month ago. He started as a truck pusher in Lagos, but he later grew very big in the business that he established other businesses from the profit he made from this job. I know he had two big buses for his transport business and he lived in his own house.’’

However, one would be dead wrong to assume the scavenging business is strictly for men. A mother of two who gave her name as Blessing was spotted by our correspondent near a dumpsite in Mowe, gathering her ‘wares’.

For Blessing, she would do anything to raise her kids as long as it’s not what the law frowns at.

“There’s nothing I can’t do to make money as long as it’s not what I will do and policemen will start hunting for me. I’m a widow, and I don’t believe in begging to live. This is how I make my daily bread.’’

How Lucrative?

According to Adebayo, one can earn 100% on one’s investment and can earn as much as what one wants to earn.

“If I get the kind of financial support I want, there is no limit to what I can earn. I buy a tonne of waste for N20,000 and I can sell it for N40,000. In a month, if I have the financial muscle to buy 5 tonnes for N100,000, I can make another N100,000 profit, and I can make more depending on how deep my pocket is.

“Apart from buying and reselling, there are other areas of making money here. For instance, every truck pusher that dumps anything in this dumpsite pays N100, if he dumps 10 times a day, that’s N1000.

“Government also gets its own share. We pay N4,000 to government every day.’’

For Ebenezer, he would not disclose figures, but he’s grateful for the mercy of God. “I’m not where I used to be but my life is more meaningful now by the grace of God.’’

The stages involved

‘‘There are also those who help in picking and selecting when people bring us ‘market’. Many things are mixed together. Picking is the process of getting all that we need in one place from the whole rubbish. After this, the next stage is selecting. This is the stage where, for instance, every item gets its own bag. For instance, cans are bagged in a place, plastics are bagged separately. Then, we bag and scale.

“It’s then that we can now sell. Chinese are our best customers. They buy everything. From condemned slippers to polythene, from plastics to empty cans, they buy everything and recycle. “You will be surprised.

“They buy the most useless things you can think of,’’ Adebayo averred.

Would you have a romantic relationship with a Scavenger?

Owing to what some consider the dirty nature of scavenging business and its profitability as claimed by the players, The Daily Times went to town to seek the opinion of some Nigerian ladies on the possibility of dating a scavenger.

Anuoluwapo Atere is a civil servant with the Lagos State government. She bares her mind: “I can’t for any reason date a scavenger. What will I tell my parents he is doing to earn a living? “Let him have the whole world, I can’t. The job is a turn off for me.’’

Another lady, Fowobi Akeju, a banker, said “it’s not all about money. I can’t o. No. If I’m deceived into the relationship, the relationship is over the day I know.

For Roseline West, a business woman, what a man does is inconsequential as long as he earns his money legitimately.

“Money does not smell. If you like, deal in faeces. What is important to me is a man that will love me and be a responsible father. What is the usefulness of a neat man that can’t meet the needs of his family? I don’t care what man does as long as it’s legit and can provide the needs of his family.’’