Socio-ecologies of Plastic Bottle Waste (PBW) and the Development of Ecoprenuerial Initiatives in Contemporary Nigerian Society

Abstract

The study analyze the mechanisms that lead to the creation, accumulation, and exchange of plastic bottle waste, as well as its monetary value, industrial recycling, and home use in contemporary Nigerian societies. We conducted a descriptive and explanatory study with 86 ecopreneurs who have worked in the plastic waste sector for at least five years. We used both qualitative and descriptive statistics to arrive at our conclusions. Seventy-four percent of respondents from various demographics collected at least one hundred pieces of used plastic per day, ninety-five percent stated that the economic and social potentials of plastic waste are expanding, and ninety-eight percent stated that PBW commerce encourages innovation and garbage recycling. The vast majority of PBW traders (87.1%) do not see their age to be a barrier, and it is equally available to both sexes (93.5%) and all generations (90%). The study indicated that businesses formed from discarded plastic bottles benefited global social, economic, and environmental conditions. Additional field research is required in developing countries such as Nigeria to establish technical and vocational capacities for dealing with plastic bottles and other plastic debris.