Shelter_quest

29/08/2026

PROJECT NAME: COUPLES

PROJECT TAGLINE: It takes 2 to tango — Powering Nigerian Small Businesses through Recycling Products

Turning Everyday Food and Fruit Waste into Profit

Every day on our streets, a ticking economic and environmental time bomb sits uncollected: Nigeria generates a staggering *38 million tonnes of household food waste annually*—the highest volume on the African continent, with each citizen discarding roughly 189 kg of food every year (UNEP Food Waste Index).

While micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) drive our grassroots economy—representing the backbone of our commercial hubs—they are crippled by the *high cost of energy overhead. Rising expenses for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), firewood, and charcoal eat deep into profit margins, while municipal waste characterisation reveals that 52.4% of all urban waste clogging our drainages consists of decaying organic material.

We are facing an unprecedented paradox: millions of small food and beverage businesses struggling to survive high energy costs, sitting right on top of billions of naira worth of wasted green energy. *It is time to turn everyday food and fruit waste into profit.*

Problem Identification

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 report, Nigeria’s working population dynamics show that 11.8% were in wage employment, 75.4% worked in their own farms or businesses, and 10.6% were primarily helping in a household business.

Moniepoint MFB (2026) further reports that its payment platform offers valuable insights into changing consumer spending patterns across the food industry, noting that food and beverage businesses are the second-largest group of merchants using its platform, behind retail businesses. Yet, these vibrant enterprises face a punishing operational bottleneck: the *high cost of energy overhead.

Traditional environmental interventions in Nigeria have tackled desertification, conservation, and solar mini-grids, but they have largely missed a crucial market reality: turning everyday organic pollution into affordable, immediate energy for the grassroots food and beverage sector.

20/08/2026

Big steps toward a cleaner future!

Today, our team at Shelter Quest Site Services Ltd had a strategic meeting with officials from the Federal Ministry of Environment.

We met to align on solving two of the biggest issues facing our communities: food waste polluting our streets and the urgent need for jobs for our youth.
That is why we are introducing Project Couples.
Because it takes two to tango.

Project Couples pairs environmental protection with job creation. Using our Cook With Biogas Plant technology, we are turning market food waste into clean cooking gas, rich fertiliser, and livestock feed—creating 50,000 green jobs across Nigeria in the process.

We firmly affirm our commitment to building solutions that are both environmentally clean and economically profitable. We are dedicated to turning waste into wealth, cutting costs for small businesses, and empowering our youth.

When strong partnerships meet real local solutions, Nigeria wins.

Stay tuned as we move this vision forward!

ZeroWaste MinistryOfEnvironment

19/08/2026

Looking for Hotshot drivers to help move the Mark 5 trailer from Woodstock Georgia to Pine Mountain Georgia this Thursday - Also let me know if you want to build with us in Pine Mountain Georgia!

17/08/2026

You may want to consider our company's involvement in helping to address these impending faecal waste management issues using biodegradable digester toilet technology.

Repeated sewage overflows, structural water damage and unresolved maintenance requests have made homes unsafe, residents of the National Housing Corporation’s Grotto housing complex said on Wednesday, despite promises of urgent intervention after years of complaints.

📸: Ricardo Roberts / Barbados TODAY

Continue reading more here: https://bit.ly/4xIkH6R

14/08/2026

Celebrating our 7th year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

14/08/2026

13/08/2026

TANZANIAN INNOVATOR TURNS PLASTIC WASTE INTO TIMBER AS ECO PLASTIC WOOD GAINS GLOBAL ATTENTION

Biogas World Research and Technology
| 11 August 2026

DARUSHA, TANZANIA - Tanzanian innovator Edgar Edmund Tarimo, founder and CEO of Green Venture Tanzania, is gaining international attention for Eco Plastic Wood, an innovation that converts discarded plastic into recycled lumber for furniture and other applications. The Royal Academy of Engineering describes the innovation as combining modern recycling techniques with traditional carpentry.

Tarimo's journey began as a teenager in Tanzania. According to the Royal Academy of Engineering, after observing the effects of flooding and plastic pollution, he developed an early prototype with approximately US$20, with support from his teachers. He continued refining the concept and presented his work at science fairs in Arusha.

In 2017, Tarimo participated in the Anzisha Prize competition in South Africa, where, according to the Royal Academy of Engineering, he gained entrepreneurship experience and secured early investment to develop his work further. The Royal Academy identifies 2018 as the year Eco Plastic Wood was developed. The process involves collecting, sorting and shredding plastic waste before controlled heating and extrusion. The processed material is then moulded into lumber that can be worked into furniture and other products.

The innovation has also generated employment opportunities for informal plastic-waste collectors. According to the Royal Academy, waste collectors supply plastic feedstock while earning income from material that might otherwise enter the environment.

The environmental and engineering potential of the project has attracted further international recognition. On 19 March 2025, the Royal Academy of Engineering announced its shortlist for the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, with Eco Plastic Wood among the recognised innovations.

In its 2025 profile, the Royal Academy reported that approximately 1,000 tonnes of plastic had been recycled into about 140,000 Eco Plastic Wood planks. The Academy also reported that Tarimo's team was collaborating with MIT on a device intended to

12/08/2026

Plastolene innovator of microwave pyrolysis by Nature jab.
Turning plastics into fuel.



InvestFest2026