If you live in Lagos or Ogun, chances are you’ve seen it — someone walking past with a sack slung over their back, bending occasionally to pick up used plastic bottles from the roadside.

Maybe you’ve noticed heaps of PET bottles packed into large nylon bags beside shops or tucked in corners of residential compounds.

In places like Magodo GRA, you might have even spotted neat piles of water and soda bottles left at dedicated drop-off points, waiting for collection.

It’s easy to dismiss these sights as just part of the city clutter. But behind them is a quiet but growing business — one that turns discarded plastic into steady income for thousands of Nigerians.

People like Ademolu Elijah, a waste collector and supplier based in Ijebu Ode, are right in the middle of it. Every week, Elijah supplies three tonnes of clean PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles to recycling companies. At N500 to N600 per kilogram, that translates to N1.5 million to N1.8 million weekly, all from plastic that most people throw away without a second thought.

Elijah’s story reflects a wider economy powered by everyday plastic — and the people who turn it into value. Across Lagos and Ogun, the PET waste business follows a layered model that starts with street scavengers and ends at large-scale recycling plants.

In between are aggregators, transporters, and big-time suppliers who buy, sort, and deliver in bulk.

In Ijebu Ode, Elijah collects his plastic waste from various sources — including individuals who gather bottles from homes, bars, and street corners. But unlike casual collectors, he handles volume.

“For PET alone, I move about three tonnes a week,” he said. “White PET is what they want — mostly water and soda bottles. Non-white bottles, like the green or dark ones, are less valuable,” Elijah stated.

The value chain often begins with scavengers who sell PET bottles for as little as N250 per kilogram. Middlemen add their own margins, sometimes pushing the price to N400 or more, before it reaches large suppliers like Elijah, who then resell to recycling companies at N500 to N600 per kilogram.

While PET bottles form the core of Elijah’s trade, they are not the only plastics he handles. To expand his weekly revenue, he also collects other recyclable plastics accepted by plants, including HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) used in detergent containers, shampoo bottles, and cooking oil jerrycans, as well as PP (Polypropylene) materials like bottle caps and takeaway bowls.

These plastics are typically sourced from street collectors and small businesses. Elijah buys HDPE at around N300 to N350 per kilogram and PP at about N250 to N300 per kilogram, depending on cleanliness and colour. He then resells to recycling companies for between N400 and N500 per kilogram.

“In total, I gather between five to seven tonnes of plastic waste every week,” Elijah told Naijaonpoint.

“PET is about three tonnes, and the rest comes from HDPE and PP. It helps to balance the trade.”

Though not as highly priced as PET, these other plastics still make a meaningful contribution to his revenue. After factoring in logistics, labour, and handling costs, Elijah estimates that he retains roughly 30% profit margin across the board.

In Lagos’ Ikorodu area, Samuel Udom runs a similar operation. He’s been supplying PET bottles to recycling companies since 2018. Back then, he could gather up to 16 tonnes per week, but volumes have declined over the years due to changing consumption patterns and increased competition.

“Now, I do between two to three tonnes weekly,” Udom told Naijaonpoint.

“The cost of drinks has gone up, so people buy fewer sodas. And more people are entering the business.”

Udom also pointed out that some suppliers spend as much as N100,000 transporting a tonne of plastic to recycling plants — a cost that smaller scavengers often cannot afford. According to him, this is why many of them prefer to sell their materials to larger suppliers who can shoulder the transport burden.

“The truth is, if you don’t have your own vehicle, it’s hard to survive. Fuel costs and logistics are not small,” he added.

To reduce his own costs, Udom acquired a truck to manage transport in-house — a move that helped him stay competitive despite the squeeze in PET supply.

At the end of this chain are the recycling plants — companies like Stellar International and Lexsz Plastics Limited, which buy PET bottles in bulk, sort them, and convert them into materials for new products.

A staff member at Stellar International, who asked not to be named, explained to Naijaonpoint that while anyone can supply PET, the quality and type of bottle matter.

“We don’t take oily, muddy, or sandy bottles. Clean white PET is the priority,” the staff said.

“Some green ones are accepted, but not all. Alomo Bitters and Supa Komando, for example, are a no.”

Prices fluctuate frequently. “Earlier this year, we were buying at N620 per kg. Now it’s about N520. The international market and exchange rate determine what we pay,” the source added.

At Lexsz Plastics Limited, another staff member shared with Naijaonpoint that while the company focuses on PET, it separates and resells the bottle caps, which are made from polypropylene (PP), to a sister company.

The demand for recycled PET is strong — especially from large multinational beverage and consumer goods companies that integrate recycled content back into their packaging lines.

“It’s cheaper than buying freshly manufactured plastic,” the staff said.

“Some also use it for T-shirts, hand fans, and mattress fibres. Our own plant processes PET into material for pillows and mattresses.”

The staff member confirmed that Lexsz currently buys qualifying PET bottles at N600 per kilogram.

Not every collector plays at Elijah’s or Udom’s scale. In Maryland, Lagos, Oluwafemi Adebayo, a waste collector, relies on more personal networks to gather plastic bottles.

“I don’t work with scavengers,” Adebayo explained to Naijaonpoint.

“I speak to staff at hotels and restaurants. They collect and store the bottles for me.”

Because of his limited sourcing model, he gathers about 150 kilograms of PET per week — far less than the top suppliers. Still, the approach provides a modest and reliable income stream.

“It’s slow, but at least I know the bottles are clean, and the quality is good,” he said.

Plastic bottles provide income for thousands, but when poorly managed, they pose serious long-term risks to public health and the environment.

Although PET is widely recycled and considered food-safe, Dr. Doyin Odubanjo, a public health expert and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science, warns that exposure to heat or sunlight can cause plastics to release toxic substances. Over time, they degrade into microplastics that contaminate food and water sources.

“Plastics clog drains, worsen flooding, and increase the spread of diseases like cholera and malaria,” he told Naijaonpoint.

Dr. Odubanjo noted that not all plastics carry the same level of risk.