Wecyclers and Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola

I came across an article that involves a certain woman, Bilikiss (pronounced BILLY-KEESS) Adebiyi-Abiola, who had a wonderful opportunity offered to her. You can hear her on Youtube talk about her business. The Huffington Post (November 2014) has an interesting article and interview with her. The Guardian (October 2015) has a very good article as well. She received the honor of being a “lioness of Africa,” that is, one of the great female entrepreneurs of Africa.

The story of Bilikiss has inspired me. If you listen to the interview above, I think you will receive inspiration as well. It does not inspire me because of the recycling business. Although I recycle when available, I do not make a big deal of this. Her commitment and passion are inspiring. However, what inspires me most today is how she could look at something that most of us ignore and saw a business opportunity. Bishop Michael Coyner in Indiana has had a focus on “making a difference” in the lives of people. This woman has done that, and the phrase will show up a few times. Here is part of her story.

She packed her things, said goodbye to her friends and family, and traveled thousands of miles from her home in Lagos, Nigeria, to New England where she would study hard and work diligently toward a Masters of Business Administration degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An MBA from MIT would open up a world of possibilities for Bilikiss. She could start a new business, or work for an established company at a high salary. Soon she would have enough money to provide for her family, and buy just about anything she wanted. Yet, this is not who this young woman is. After spending 13 years in the United States, part of it at IBM, she was still far from home. Yet, Bilikiss had a moment when she “came to herself.” She realized that “waste” fascinated her. She had seen people in the United States sort their trash into recycling bins, and learned how this simple act helps preserve the environment by dramatically decreasing the amount of trash in landfills.

Then, this young woman remembered her home where trash is a problem.

"People in the U.S. are very careful about taking care of waste. I thought, Why not Nigeria?" she said.

Lagos, like many large cities, has its problems. As the most populous city in Africa, life in Lagos can present a number of urban challenges. Since 2004, Nigeria has seen a 5% increase in the number of people living below $1 per day, despite recently overtaking South Africa as the continent’s largest economy. Of Lagos’s 18 million residents, 60% live in slum neighborhoods that operate as informal, thriving cities of their own. No one collects about 60% of the trash. It sits in piles and sometimes in the street.

More than an odious nuisance, uncollected trash is a dangerous health hazard. Garbage piles are breeding grounds for flies and rodents that spread disease.

If you have been to a poor country, you know the challenge this can be. When I went to Haiti, it was obvious as we entered the villages outside the capitol the problem with trash. We often saw it lining the streets. Children played in it.

Bilikiss' new way of seeing trash awakened her to new possibilities for the MBA she was earning. She was not going to use her degree to start just any business. No, she decided that, after graduation, she would return home to start a recycling business to help Nigeria with its trash problem.

She began to formulate a plan she could put in action when she arrived in Lagos. She considered startup costs and many of the business logistics. She thought about ways to educate people about the benefits of recycling. She named her new company Wecyclers.  

Soon after graduation, she began the long journey home, eager to make a difference for her people.

Upon arrival, things did not go as planned. When she shared her message of how recycling would help the environment, many of the people of Lagos were not listening. It is always hard to get people to change their ways, maybe especially with something as apparently trivial as trash.

Then she had another revelation.

Rather than showing people what recycling could do for the city, she would show them what recycling could do for them. She would show people the value of what they were throwing away.

Lagos generates approximately 735,000 tons of plastic each year, worth about $300 million to waste brokers who resell it to recyclers and others.

"That's money lying on the street," Bilikiss says.

She has received many awards and recognitions since her business started in 2012. She was a “lioness of Africa.” As the editor of the magazine put it,

 

We love the fact that one woman entrepreneur had an incredible vision to positively change lives and make a difference in her country, and as a result, is working to successfully change the environmental behavior of a country’s population, one piece of plastic at a time.

 

Not only would recycling help the city with their trash problem, and cut down on the spread of disease, it would generate cash -- money that could help people improve their lives in other ways.

Bilikiss started offering incentives, in essence paying people for their recyclables.

Today Wecyclers is cleaning up!

They visit some 6,000 homes each week exchanging cash and household goods for recyclables, collecting 40 tons each month.

This young woman who traveled far from home is changing the way the people of Lagos look at their garbage. She is reclaiming the lost money once left lying in the street.

What was once trash is now seen as a treasure.

As a preacher, let me say that, especially during the season of Lent, we might find a wonderful spiritual lesson here about human lives. Do not pass by a human life and assume it worthless. God may well see a treasure there.

Here is some wisdom from her.

 

"Do not be afraid of failure. Live and take risks. If you stay in your safe zone, you won’t learn enough."

Believe in your plan and stick to it....

" Believe in your idea even if other people are trying to convince you otherwise. It is great to incorporate people’s feedback into your work, but if you do not agree with them, stick with your plan."

Don't be put off by rejection, persist....

"Push more! You have to grab things and be persistent. Don’t take things personally. Rejection is part of the game, just keep pushing. Don’t give up. Push more!"

The easiest way to get funding is to build a great team....

"You will be surprised at how quickly your idea will take off when you have a solid group of people that are equally passionate about it. Also, like our parents say, two or more heads are better than one. The diversity as well as the expanded network will amplify your chances of funding the venture."