SPOTLIGHT: Amidu, the Nigerian revamping circular economy space with PlastiBuild
Amidu grew up in Lagos, and one thing that he constantly witnessed was flooding, mostly a direct effect of drainages clogged with plastic waste. This put a burden on him that led to a waste-to-wealth initiative.

He has been ridiculed and even lost the love of his life because a prestigious graduate like him should not be picking waste, but that only strengthened his determination.

Young Amidu’s passion for sustainability via the circular economy has positioned him as an important stakeholder in Lagos State. He is helping the government make decisions, training other young people, and growing the sustainability market through PlastiBuild.

In this interview with CrispNG, Amidu Mohammed Dabban speaks about his passion for sustainability, impacts, challenges, and projects.

Can we meet you?

Amidu: My name is Amidu Mohammed. I’m the founder and creative director of PlastiBuild Creative Solutions Limited. We are a climate-conscious social enterprise that leverages innovative upcycling technologies to bridge the gap in sustainable products by transforming waste into functional items. We transform waste like tires, plastic, fabric, wood waste, broken mirrors, and more into functional products such as home interior decoration materials, footwear (eco-footwear), green furniture, green plastic, plastic bricks, and much more. Essentially, we are transforming waste into wealth.

Can you share the story behind PlastiBuild Creative Solutions and how your enterprise contributes to addressing plastic waste challenges in Nigeria?

Amidu: PlastiBuild Creative Solutions is a startup that I began while I was an undergraduate at Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto. I live in Lagos, but I studied up north, so I’ve always experienced the waste crisis we have in Lagos firsthand.

As a child, I woke up to a smoky environment, which could be a result of people burning refuse, ‘area boys’ burning tires to send a message of impending violence, an unfortunate criminal being lynched, or possibly some women burning waste from their houses because they couldn’t afford to pay waste management authorities like Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). This made the environment unconducive and even life-threatening for those with breathing-related illnesses or could trigger those health conditions.

For some of my friends who had asthma, whenever it was smoky it was always a terrible experience for them, and even for those of us who didn’t have that condition, having to inhale a lot of smoke was a good experience, as the emissions were too much making the environment unconducive and apart from that, seeing waste littered everywhere clogged the drainages and whenever it rained, my streets transform into a river and that crippled economic activities until the street is dried again.

So, I discovered that it was such a mess, which the government is trying to solve, but they can’t do everything. I felt there should be a way around this problem. We should be able to transform some of this waste into useful products.

When I started, I faced a lot of repulsion from family and community members because, as a graduate of chemistry, they didn’t see any sense in working with waste. They had this mindset that working with waste is demeaning. They thought I was bringing myself down according to their perception of waste management.

I lost my girlfriend because she saw waste as a dirty thing to work with. I asked her to choose me or leave because I wasn’t going to abandon waste management. She left, and that’s when I realised that my passion for waste management is strong.

Could you walk us through the process of converting plastic waste into useful building materials, and what sets your approach apart from others in the industry?

Amidu: What we do at PlastiBuild Creative Solutions is convert tires and fabric waste into functional footwear. We do this by collaborating with local artisans, such as shoemakers and cobblers. In the beginning, I reached out to them requesting footwear, but this time, something different and unique made out of tires. I asked them to show me the process of making footwear, and we looked at alternatives. After overcoming the hurdles, we were able to come up with footwear made from waste materials, specifically tires and fabric.

The furniture also followed the same process. I went to furniture makers and requested furniture made from tires. They initially thought I didn’t know what I was talking about. At that point, they were not interested, so I decided to try it out myself.

My first attempt at turning tires into furniture was a good one. I was able to visualize my idea, although not perfectly. They then understood what I was talking about and decided to join me in making it better. We were able to get a near-perfect product that communicated the concept of working with waste. That’s essentially what we leverage at PlastiBuild to create our products.

We engage in collaborative partnerships with local artisans, craftsmen, and craftswomen; it’s more like a community coming together to design, with one person leading the process. We also work on plastic bricks, but that is not our core focus.

What impact has PlastiBuild Creative Solutions had on reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste in Nigeria, and what are your future goals for the company in this regard?

Amidu: In terms of impact, directly, we’ve been able to upcycle about 50 to 100 scrap tires. We’ve done a lot with plastics, converting them into bricks and interior decorations.

In terms of human capital development, we’ve trained a minimum of 1,000 young people in waste management and waste upcycling through the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. Our impact has spread widely, as impact travels faster than light. We’ve made significant contributions, especially in building the circular economy ecosystem in Nigeria.

Read more: https://crispng.com/spotlight-amidu-the-nigerian-revamping-circular-economy-space-with-plastibuild/