Wecyclers
Wecyclers is a Nigerian for-profit social enterprise that collects recyclables from low-income Lagos households via cargo bikes, paying subscribers in redeemable points per kilogram and selling sorted materials to manufacturers; it operates 8+ hubs and is expanding into PET processing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersYaba, Nigeria
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Wecyclers does
Wecyclers is a Nigerian for-profit social enterprise founded in 2012 by siblings Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola and Olawale Adebiyi that operates a household recycling collection service across Lagos. The company targets low-income urban households in dense, underserved neighborhoods that lack formal waste collection, registering subscribers for free doorstep pickup and paying them in points (1 point = 1 naira) per kilogram of recyclable materials — points accumulate over a minimum 4-month period and are redeemable for cash in April, August, or December. Its secondary channels include WREX curbside drop-off locations, a corporate services program sold on annual subscriptions, and a franchise program that extends the model through independent social entrepreneurs.
The core operating stack is a network of 8+ collection, sorting, and baling hubs across Lagos neighborhoods (Ebute Meta, Surulere, Makoko, Magodo, Ogba, Ejigbo, Ikorodu, Ikorodu) served by a fleet of locally assembled cargo bikes called 'wecycles'. Subscribers register via SMS and web sign-up; points are tracked through a lightweight SMS-based ledger. Materials collected (PET containers, aluminum cans, glass, paper, cartons, plastic items, pure water sachets) are sorted, baled, and sold to local manufacturers producing tissue paper, bedding stuffing, plastic furniture, aluminum sheets, and nylon bags. Reported throughput at the Lagos sorting facility is 60 tonnes per month of PET bottles, with a 2019 milestone of surpassing 100 tons/month of PET recycling.
Wecyclers generates revenue through three streams: (1) transaction-based sale of sorted recyclables to manufacturers, (2) recurring annual subscription fees from corporate clients for managed collection and reporting, and (3) franchise-related income from independently operated Wecyclers-branded recycling enterprises. In July 2023, Norfund provided a EUR 2 million convertible loan — its first direct African plastic-recycling investment — alongside co-funding from Unilever Nigeria and Bridges Outcomes Partnership, to finance a planned 12,000 tons-per-year PET recycling plant in Ogun state. The company employs more than 200 people (60% women) and serves approximately 20,000 households against a stated 2023 target of 500,000.
Wecyclers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wecyclers
- Legal name
- Wecyclers Corporation
- Website
- https://wecyclers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wecyclers is a Nigerian for-profit social enterprise that collects recyclables from low-income Lagos households via cargo bikes, paying subscribers in redeemable points per kilogram and selling sorted materials to manufacturers; it operates 8+ hubs and is expanding into PET processing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wecyclers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste Management and Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Waste Collection (56211), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recycling & E-Waste Collection/Hauling (HSAKALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)
Keywords
Where Wecyclers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Yaba
- HQ country
- Nigeria
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices8 records
Markets served
Wecyclers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Household Recycling Collection: Free collection service for households and individuals. Revenue generated from selling collected recyclable materials (PET bottles, aluminum cans, paper, cartons, plastic containers) to manufacturers who process them into new goods.
- Corporate Waste Collection Services: Annual charge to corporate clients for professional collection of recyclable waste, including training, pickup logistics, and monthly recycling activity reports.
- Material Processing and Sales: Collected materials are sorted, processed, and sold to manufacturers who turn recyclables into tissue paper, bedding materials, plastic furniture, aluminum sheets, and nylon bags.
- Franchise Program: Expansion through franchisees who set up independent recycling enterprises, creating additional collection and processing capacity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Household Collection Program |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Services Program |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | WREX Drop-off Program |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Wecyclers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wecyclers operates a household recycling collection service in Lagos, Nigeria, using a fleet of low-cost cargo bikes ('wecycles') to pick up recyclable waste (PET bottles, aluminum cans, paper, cartons, plastic containers) from registered households. Subscribers earn points per kilogram of recyclables via SMS, redeemable for cash or goods three times yearly. Collected materials are sorted at hubs and sold to manufacturers as raw inputs for tissue paper, bedding, plastic furniture, aluminum sheets, and nylon bags.
Product overview
Wecyclers is a for-profit social enterprise offering a suite of waste collection and recycling services in Lagos, Nigeria. The core offering consists of three interconnected service lines: Recyclables Pick Up (door-to-door household collection with a points-based reward system), Wecyclers Recycling Exchange (WREX) for curbside drop-offs, and Corporate Services for commercial accounts. The Franchise Program extends the model by enabling independent entrepreneurs to operate their own recycling enterprises under the Wecyclers brand. The company operates a network of collection and sorting hubs across Lagos neighborhoods, processing collected materials for sale to manufacturers who produce new goods including tissue paper, bedding stuffing, plastic furniture, aluminum sheets, and nylon bags.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Recyclables Pick Up
Quantifiable outcome
- Surpassed 100 tons/month PET bottle recycling target in June 2019
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Wecyclers
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wecyclers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Wecyclers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Lagos State Government / Lagos Waste Management AuthoritycoreEstablished relationships through Lagos State Government and Lagos Waste Management Agency supporting expansion into many previously unreached Local Government Areas. Government support has helped secure land for recycling hubs and enabled community awareness programs.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wecyclers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RecyclePoints: Nigeria-based formal recycling rewards platform that collects recyclable waste from households and businesses in exchange for redeemable points. Closest direct competitor to Wecyclers within Nigeria, with overlapping household rewards model and corporate services.
- Chanja Datti: Nigerian plastic recycling and upcycling social enterprise that buys post-consumer plastic waste and converts it into usable products. Comparable on PET collection and processing activity in Nigeria, though more focused on end-product manufacturing than household collection rewards.
- Alchemy垃圾 management alternative (e.g., Sintex): No strong global alternative at the same scale; placeholder removed.
Regional players
- Mr. Green Africa: Kenya-based social enterprise that buys post-consumer plastic waste from waste pickers and converts it into recyclate for sale to manufacturers. Highly comparable business model and African emerging-market context, but geographically distinct (East vs. West Africa).
- EcoPost: Kenyan recycling social enterprise that uses post-consumer plastic waste to manufacture durable fencing posts. Comparable African recycling-collection-to-processing business model; regional peer operating in Kenya rather than Nigeria.
- WEEE Centre: Kenyan e-waste collection and recycling social enterprise. Comparable emerging-market social-enterprise structure and Africa-based recycling activity, though focused on e-waste rather than post-consumer household recyclables.
Emerging players
- Gjenge Makers: Kenyan enterprise that recycles plastic waste into construction materials (paving bricks, tiles). Highly comparable in the plastic-recycling category and emerging-market context but operates at a smaller scale and different point in the value chain.
Broad incumbents
- Waste Management Inc. North America's largest waste services provider, offering collection, recycling, and disposal at industrial scale. Comparable core activity in recycling collection and processing, but operates with very different unit economics, geography, and capital base.
- Veolia: Global environmental services leader with substantial waste management, recycling, and plastics-recycling operations across Europe, Africa, and emerging markets. Strategic benchmark for what scaled, vertically integrated plastic-recycling infrastructure can look like.
Others
- TOMRA: Global leader in sensor-based sorting technology for recycling and waste streams. Relevant as enabling technology provider — TOMRA's optical sorters underpin the kind of material recovery facility Wecyclers would need as it scales its Ogun PET plant and hub operations.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wecyclers social profiles
Digital presenceWecyclers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wecyclers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Wecyclers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wecyclers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wecyclers
What does Wecyclers do?
Wecyclers operates a household recycling collection service in Lagos, Nigeria, using a fleet of low-cost cargo bikes ('wecycles') to pick up recyclable waste (PET bottles, aluminum cans, paper, cartons, plastic containers) from registered households. Subscribers earn points per kilogram of recyclables via SMS, redeemable for cash or goods three times yearly. Collected materials are sorted at hubs and sold to manufacturers as raw inputs for tissue paper, bedding, plastic furniture, aluminum sheets, and nylon bags.
Is Wecyclers a public or private company?
Wecyclers is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Wecyclers founded?
Wecyclers was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wecyclers based?
Wecyclers is headquartered in Yaba, Nigeria, in the Africa region.
How does Wecyclers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Household Recycling Collection is the primary driver. The others are corporate Waste Collection Services, material Processing and Sales and franchise Program.
Who are Wecyclers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RecyclePoints, Chanja Datti and Alchemy垃圾 management alternative (e.g., Sintex). Regional players are Mr. Green Africa, EcoPost and WEEE Centre. Gjenge Makers is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Waste Management Inc. and Veolia. TOMRA is listed as an others.
Does Wecyclers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wecyclers.
What industry is Wecyclers in?
Wecyclers's product category is Waste Management and Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKALAJ, Recycling & E-Waste Collection/Hauling, with a secondary code of EUAIAKAA, Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply). Its NAICS code is 56211 and its SIC code is 4953.