Ecobarter

What Ecobarter does

Ecobarter (Ecobarter Company Ltd) is a Nigerian integrated waste resource reduction, recovery, and recycling platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in Abuja, with a secondary office in Lagos. The company enables individuals, households, and corporate organizations to convert recyclable plastics, papers, cartons, metals, and cans into digital points redeemable as cash, bill payments, or charitable donations, operating a mobile app (Android and iOS), doorstep bi-weekly pickup, physical drop-off hubs, and Nigeria's first domestically manufactured Reverse Vending Machines (RVM S02) with proprietary AI-based material identification.

The technology stack centers on a waste tokenization engine, the RVM hardware line with AI-driven PET/can sorting and multilingual prompts in English, Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba, and the EcobarterPay payment API that lets third-party merchants accept waste as currency. Adjacent product lines include Sortabox/Sortabag sorting infrastructure, WREP Fabrics (upcycled lifestyle products made by women's clusters from flexible plastics), and a Biogas & Compost service converting organic waste into cooking gas and bio-slurry. Distribution is hybrid: self-serve mobile for consumers, a 250+ collector network spanning 15+ Nigerian cities for last-mile recovery, and a direct enterprise sales motion for government, development, and CSR buyers of RVM units and corporate recycling programs.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: marketplace commissions of 15-20% (with category-specific minimums) on the Ecobarter Shop, RVM hardware sales on a quote basis, corporate recycling program fees, recycling collection services, and emerging revenue from upcycled goods and biogas. The company is privately held, appears primarily founder/grant-funded (Women Entrepreneurship for Africa, UNIDO, Government of Japan, Roddenberry Foundation, CcHUB), and reports cumulative operational outcomes including over 1,000,000 kg of waste recovered, ~N30M paid to collectors, and 5,000+ active recycling users.

Name

Ecobarter

Legal name

Ecobarter Company Ltd

Website

https://ecobarter.africa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ecobarter is a Nigerian waste-as-currency platform that converts recyclables into redeemable points via mobile app, doorstep pickup, and AI-powered Reverse Vending Machines, serving households, corporates, and a 250+ collector network across 15+ Nigerian cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management & Recycling Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Collection (56211), Other Waste Collection (562119)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Material Reuse & Upcycling Services (Non-recycling Transformation) (EUAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA), Commercial Food Waste Programs & On-Site Solutions (Cafeterias, Grocers, Hospitality) (BPALAEAE), Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA), Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

Keywords

• Waste recycling platform
• Reverse vending machines
• Waste tokenization
• Informal waste workers
• Plastic upcycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Abuja

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Merchant Commission: Ecobarter charges merchants commission on gross revenue from sales made through the platform. Commission rates vary by product category: Beauty 15% (min N300), Books 20% (min N300), Fashion 15% (min N300), Gifts 20% (min N500), Home 20% (min N300), Kitchen 15% (min N100), Outdoor 20% (min N300), Packaging 20% (min N500), Personal Care 15% (min N300), Custom 20% (min N500), Others 15% (min N100). Settlements made on Tuesdays and Fridays.
2. RVM Hardware Sales: Sale of Reverse Vending Machines to governments, development organizations, corporate CSR initiatives, and retail store chains. Machines are sold with specifications for the S01 and S02 models including processing speed, storage capacity, and power systems.
3. Recycling Collection Services: Doorstep recycling pickup services for individuals, households, and corporate organizations. Individuals and corporate organizations earn between N5,000 and N2,000,000 recycling with Ecobarter yearly.
4. Corporate Partnership Programs: Partnerships with corporate organizations for recycling programs including staff training, recycling bins installation, receptacle setup, and upcycled product creation. Also includes cleanup drives and waste-to-resource empowerment training.
5. Recycled Fabric Products (WREP): Women's Recycling Empowerment Program converting flexible plastics into fabrics for lifestyle products like bags, shoes, and clothing through clusters of local community women.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ecobarter operates an integrated waste-as-a-currency platform that enables users to convert recyclable waste materials (plastics, papers, cartons, metals, cans) into digital points redeemable as cash through a mobile application, doorstep pickup service, and Nigeria's first locally manufactured Reverse Vending Machines. The platform also upcycles waste into new products including fabrics (WREP), biogas and compost, and runs an online marketplace for recycled goods alongside a B2B payment API (EcobarterPay) for businesses to accept waste as currency.

Product overview

Ecobarter is an integrated waste-as-a-currency platform comprising a mobile/web application for waste collection and tokenization, Nigeria's first locally manufactured Reverse Vending Machines (RVM), the EcobarterPay payment integration, WREP Fabrics upcycling initiative, Biogas & Compost energy products, and Sortabox sorting solutions. The platform connects waste generators with a network of 250+ last-mile collectors, enabling users to earn redeemable points by recycling plastics, papers, cartons, metals, and cans. Products include the core Ecobarter Mobile App, the RVM S02 with AI-powered material identification, EcobarterPay for business payments, and the Ecobarter Shop marketplace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sortabox: Compartmentalized boxes designed for sorting and recycling wastes at home, office, or public events.
• Ecobarterpay
• WREP Fabrics
• Biogas & Compost

Products and services

• Ecobarter Mobile Application Self-service mobile app enabling individuals and households to schedule bi-weekly waste pickup, earn points redeemable as cash, electricity units, airtime, or charity donations, and track recycling history with QR code scanning and real-time impact reporting.
• Ecobarter Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) Model S02 Nigeria's first locally manufactured reverse vending machine that accepts empty PET plastics and beverage cans, uses AI-powered multimodal sensors for material identification, supports English/Igbo/Hausa/Yoruba with text and voice prompts, processes 10-12 bottles per minute, holds 700-900 bottles, and generates QR code rewards redeemable via the Ecobarter app. Available for sale to governments, development organizations, corporate CSR initiatives, and retail store chains.
• EcobarterPay Payment acceptance system that enables businesses including micro insurance platforms, grocery retail stores, utility services, and charity platforms to receive payments using waste as currency. Includes a developer-friendly API for POS/e-commerce integration, real-time transaction dashboards, and environmental impact reporting showing Naira transaction value, recycled waste volumes, and carbon emissions saved.
• WREP Fabrics Women's-led upcycling initiative that converts flexible plastics into fabrics for high-value lifestyle products including bags, shoes, and clothing, supporting community economic empowerment for underserved women in production clusters.
• Biogas & Compost Organic waste conversion service that turns food, farm, and market wastes into biogas for clean cooking and bio-slurry liquid fertilizer, distributed through women agent networks to underserved communities.
• Sortabox and Sortabags Physical compartmentalized sorting containers and portable bags designed for households, corporate offices, and event spaces to promote source-level waste separation, reduce contamination, and improve recycling participation.
• Ecobarter Shop Commission-based online marketplace at shop.ecobarter.africa that connects buyers with merchants selling recycled and upcycled products across categories including fashion, home, beauty, kitchen, gifts, books, and packaging. Payments are processed via Paystack.
• Collector Network Program Network of 250+ last-mile collector agents and partner collectors providing doorstep pickup, waste aggregation, and recovery services across Nigerian cities, supported by micro loans, micro health insurance, and skills development programs.
• Ecobarter Learn Educational platform offering self-paced courses and quarterly network training on recycling, sustainability, and waste management practices for users, collectors, and partners.
• Corporate Recycling Partnership Program B2B partnership program that sets up corporate recycling initiatives including on-site recycling bin installation, staff training, receptacle setup, upcycled product creation for distribution, cleanup drives, and waste-to-resource empowerment training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000,000+ kg of waste recovered
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EPRON (E-Waste Producer Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2023Partnership with EPRON to place e-waste deposit bins at Ecobarter locations. EPRON bins enable collection of electronic waste including discarded devices and accessories for responsible disposal and recycling.
• Africa Union Climate Innovation HubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Ecobarter platform was showcased at the Africa Union's climate innovation hub alongside other innovators at the African Climate Week and Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, September 2023.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Sanergy: Kenya-based circular economy startup that collects organic waste and converts it into fertilizer, animal feed, and biogas. Directly comparable to Ecobarter's Biogas & Compost line and overlaps on the integrated collection-to-transformation model.
• Safi Organics: Kenya-based social enterprise converting agricultural and organic waste into biochar-based fertilizer for smallholder farmers. Comparable organic-to-product transformation model overlapping with Ecobarter's Biogas & Compost division, regional East Africa peer.
• WAGA Pack: African startup producing reusable and recycled packaging solutions from collected plastic waste. Comparable African circular-economy / upcycling thesis, with direct overlap on converting plastic waste into commercial finished products.

Broad incumbents

• TOMRA: Norwegian multinational and global leader in reverse vending machine manufacturing and material sorting technology. Established incumbent in the RVM category that Ecobarter's locally manufactured S02 directly competes against for deposit-return schemes and EPR infrastructure contracts.
• TerraCycle: Global waste management and upcycling company that turns hard-to-recycle waste into new products including bags and apparel. Comparable upcycling-into-lifestyle-products thesis to Ecobarter's WREP Fabrics line, though operating globally with much broader material scope.
• Plastic Bank: Global social enterprise that rewards plastic collection with digital tokens and converts recovered plastic into Social Plastic feedstock. Closely comparable tokenized-rewards mechanic to Ecobarter's points system, though operating at global scale across multiple continents.

Regional players

• Mr. Green Africa: Kenya-based recycler that buys post-consumer plastic waste and converts it into high-quality recycled pellets for resale to manufacturers. Comparable circular-economy business model in East Africa — overlapping feedstock model and processing into resaleable materials.

Direct peers

• Chanja Datti: Nigerian recycling company collecting plastics and waste for processing into sellable products. Comparable circular-economy play with similar upcycling and collection activities in Nigeria, directly competing for plastic feedstock.
• RecyclePoints: Nigerian recycling rewards platform that converts household recyclables into points redeemable for household essentials. Same Nigeria geography, same consumer-incentive model, and directly competes for the same household recycling user base Ecobarter targets.
• Wecyclers: Nigeria-based household waste collection platform that rewards users with redeemable points for recycling. Closest direct competitor to Ecobarter — same geography, same household-rider model, same points-for-recycling mechanic, with overlapping Lagos operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecobarter
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecobarter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecobarter
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecobarter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecobarter