Adoption of Circular Economy Practices for Food Waste Management in Lagos State, Nigeria.
This study employs a mixed-methods approach to reveal that while stakeholders in Lagos State, Nigeria, demonstrate high willingness to adopt circular economy practices for food waste management, actual adoption is significantly hindered by financial constraints, inadequate infrastructure, and institutional fragmentation, necessitating a strategic shift toward phased source separation, green finance, and inclusive policy support.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the bustling cities of the developing world, food waste is often seen as a simple problem of trash: organic matter that rots in the sun, smells bad, and clogs drainage systems. Yet, beneath this surface reality lies a more complex opportunity. The concept of a circular economy offers a different way of thinking about waste. Instead of a straight line where food is bought, eaten, and then thrown away forever, a circular system imagines a loop. In this loop, food that cannot be eaten by people is not treated as garbage but as a resource. It might become feed for animals, fertilizer for crops, or fuel for energy. The goal is to keep the value of that food within the system for as long as possible, turning what was once a burden into something useful. This approach is particularly urgent in places like Lagos, Nigeria, where rapid population growth and limited waste management services create a daily crisis of tons of rotting food, but also a massive, untapped reservoir of potential resources.
A recent study set out to understand how this idea of a circular loop is actually working on the ground in Lagos State. The researchers wanted to move beyond theory and see what food producers, market traders, restaurant owners, and waste collectors were really doing. They asked a simple question: if people know that food waste can be useful, why isn't everyone doing it? To find the answer, the team spoke with nearly two hundred people involved in the food chain and conducted in-depth interviews with fifteen key experts. They looked at what these people knew about the concept, how willing they were to change their habits, and what stood in their way. The study revealed a landscape of high hopes but heavy obstacles, where the desire to do the right thing is constantly bumping up against the hard reality of money and logistics.
The investigation began by mapping the current state of affairs. The researchers found that while the idea of a circular economy is gaining some traction, it is not yet a dominant force. Just over half of the people surveyed had heard of the concept, and only about a quarter felt they truly understood it well. Despite this moderate level of awareness, the willingness to change was strikingly high. Nearly ninety percent of the respondents said they were moderately to extremely willing to adopt circular practices. They wanted to stop throwing food away and start finding new uses for it. However, this enthusiasm has not yet translated into widespread action. Currently, only about forty percent of the people surveyed reported using any method to recover value from their waste, such as turning scraps into animal feed or compost. The vast majority of food waste still ends up mixed with general trash, destined for landfills or open dumps, where it loses all its potential value.
The study identified a clear gap between what people want to do and what they can actually do. The primary reason for this disconnect is not a lack of interest or knowledge, but a lack of resources. When asked to rank the difficulties they face, the respondents pointed overwhelmingly to money. The top barrier was the lack of access to finance and credit, followed closely by the high cost of the equipment and facilities needed to handle waste properly. Without affordable loans or grants, a market trader cannot buy the specialized bins needed to separate food from plastic, and a small business cannot afford the machinery to turn scraps into fertilizer. The third major hurdle was the lack of adequate collection and processing facilities. Even if a business separates its food waste, there is often no dedicated truck to pick it up, or no nearby facility to process it. This forces them to mix it back with general trash, rendering the effort useless.
The researchers also discovered that the path to a circular system is not a single solution but a collection of different opportunities, each suited to different types of waste. The most popular idea among the respondents was the production of compost and organic fertilizer, which nearly a quarter of the people selected as their top opportunity. This was followed by turning waste into animal feed, producing biogas for energy, and redistributing edible food to those in need. The study highlighted that these are not interchangeable options; a clean pile of vegetable peels from a market is perfect for composting, while a tray of leftover cooked food might be better suited for animal feed or redistribution. The key is matching the right type of waste with the right recovery method. However, the study found that record-keeping is almost non-existent. Only a tiny fraction of businesses keep track of how much food they waste or where it goes. Without this basic data, it is impossible to plan efficient collection routes, measure progress, or attract investors who need to see reliable numbers before they commit money.
Through interviews with experts, the study painted a clearer picture of why the system is so fragmented. The problem is not just that people don't want to change; it is that the system itself is broken. Waste collection in Lagos is often a mixed affair, where food scraps are tossed into the same bags as plastic bottles and paper. By the time the waste reaches a treatment facility, it is too contaminated to be used for high-value purposes like compost or feed. The researchers noted that the responsibility for managing food waste is also scattered across many different government agencies, from health inspectors to environmental regulators, leading to confusion and a lack of clear rules. Furthermore, the informal workers who currently do much of the recovery work—collecting scraps from markets and selling them to farmers—are often left out of official plans. Excluding them risks losing a vital part of the recovery network, while including them requires new safety standards and fair contracts.
The findings suggest that the transition to a circular economy in Lagos cannot happen through awareness campaigns alone. While educating people is important, the study showed that knowledge does not automatically lead to action when the necessary tools and financial support are missing. The researchers concluded that for the system to work, the government and private sector must build a reliable infrastructure. This means creating dedicated collection routes for organic waste, establishing local processing facilities, and providing affordable financing for businesses to buy the necessary equipment. It also means creating clear standards for the products that come out of this process, such as ensuring that compost is safe and that animal feed is free from contamination. Only when these practical foundations are in place can the high willingness of the people in Lagos be turned into a functioning, sustainable system that turns waste into wealth.
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