Age
17
Country of Residence
Nigeria
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
I stood knee-deep in the brown water. My white socks sank into the mud. I sighed heavily. I was tired of navigating flooded roads on my way to school. I grew up in Ajegunle, a low-income community in Lagos, Nigeria, where most streets aren’t tarred, drains are poorly built, and the waste system falls short. My daily commute to school involved walking past heaps of waste at bus stops. But this was “normal”. I didn’t think that our attitude towards waste was the reason why the floods had increased. Until a particular rainy morning, when I saw neighbours dumping bags of trash into drains as the current washed them away. They did this to cut costs, believing it would disappear. It was at that moment that 14-year-old me understood the floods weren’t “just nature” but the result of our actions. This realization made me anxious and motivated me to start personal research. That was the first time I learnt about plastic pollution and climate change. I soon realized that many in my community weren’t aware of these problems. To them, it was still “normal”. So I started raising awareness through my school’s STEM club. But what if people went past knowledge and also had practical skills to tackle this problem and earn from it? This was the start of my journey of empowering my community to turn plastic waste into an opportunity.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
When I started raising awareness, I received a lot of stigma. I was called "Trash Girl" and "Plastic Princess". I got weird looks. "I don't want people to see me doing that." This was a remark I received when trying to convince a friend to join my first cleanup. They lacked interest. This made me think of creative ways to engage them. Firstly, I showed them the economic benefits of upcycling, which piqued their interest. Secondly, I exposed them to opportunities in climate action, such as competitions and mentorship programs. I demonstrated how taking action can directly benefit them. I also used social media and storytelling to build trust. Soon, many became interested in being part of the Trash to Treasure community. Now I have 5 team leads and 7 active volunteers. Also, my teammates have testified that this experience has helped them realize their potential to be changemakers and has grown their skills. For example, Mary is planning to start her small jewelry business, and Anita, Sophia, and Abigail participated in an environmental action competition and got certificates. “Today’s outreach reminds me that we don’t always need to do something extraordinary to make a difference” – Laura, a volunteer. I measure success by the number of people I empower to go through the same path because I believe that the world will be a better place if everyone is a changemaker.
How many people are on your team?
13
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
What started out as lectures in my school’s STEM club in 2023 became a movement in 2024. In partnership with the Women in Leadership Advancement Network, I launched the Trash Today, Treasure Tomorrow movement, which involved carrying out five workshops at four public high schools in Ajegunle. We reached 500+ students directly through our climate-literacy and upcycling workshops and transformed 70+ PET bottles into ottomans and jewelry. But beyond the numbers, it is the excitement of the young girls who made their first upcycled earrings at our upcycling workshops and the energy of students during cleanups that reaffirm my belief that young people are ready to lead change when given the opportunity. Recently, one of our participants (who later became a volunteer), Mary, reached out to me that she got multiple orders for her upcycled jewelry after she wore hers to church, and she's looking to start a small jewelry business. This was really a proud moment for us. Furthermore, the Trash to Treasure online community on Instagram has engaged over 2,000 people. We have also seen an increase in youth involvement in climate action through our WhatsApp community (with 72 active members): students are starting their own environmental projects and members getting selected for environmental opportunities (competitions, fellowships, etc).
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Trash to Treasure is a youth-led climate literacy initiative that empowers youth from underserved communities to tackle plastic pollution and climate change through upcycling, cleanups and social media.
Project title
Trash to Treaure Initiative
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
In Lagos, approximately 870,000 tons of plastic waste, much of it recyclable, end up in landfills annually. Due to poor waste management systems, low climate education, and economic disparities, the weight of plastic pollution and climate change falls heavily on the shoulders of underserved communities like my community, Ajegunle. Here, it is a daily struggle: clogged drains lead to floods during heavy rainfalls. This disrupts education and businesses, harms homes, and even takes lives. I watched my classmates miss important exams after losing battles against the flood. Eager to know more about this issue, in 2023, I carried out a survey and found that out of 20 participants, 80% live in areas with a moderate to great deal of plastic pollution. While 95% recognize that plastic pollution affects them personally, 70% feel that the government isn’t doing enough to address the issue, but then 20% want to take action but don't know how. These findings show that many young people are overwhelmed by the plastic pollution issue and are eager for solutions but there isn’t much that they believe they can do about it. This further strengthens my belief that the progress of my community depends on ensuring that they have the knowledge, mindset and skills to tackle this problem head-on. Survey: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g5ARyoF1CDuve8bjIWg4CPh1BpAnwd43l7sjD-KTr-k/edit
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Initiative’s handle: https://www.instagram.com/trashtotreasure_initiative?xtok=MXZ1bHd4c3NyamYwaA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-inwe-2a2663284?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Trash to Treasure is currently in its community engagement phase. In 2026, we are partnering with the National Geographic Society to host our fourth quarter (Q4) school outreaches. Starting October 8, we will carry out workshops in two secondary schools in Ajegunle each month. Our goal is to directly impact 500+ students. Next year, we plan to focus on piloting our business model. We would validate demand by creating our handmade products and putting them on display in physical and online stores. We would use our existing social media platforms and communities as marketing channels. Our goal is to test the demand for our products, gather and track data and get feedback to achieve our vision of becoming a social venture where profits can be used to fund community outreaches to reduce reliance on external funding. This is an ambitious plan for a youth-led initiative, which is why with support from Ashoka and the Carnegie Challenge, we’ll gain the institutional backing and mentorship to make this a success.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
At Trash to Treasure, we are looking beyond awareness. Yes, awareness is nonnegotiable in the fight for a sustainable future, but it isn’t enough to create real change. The concept of Trash to Treasure is not merely to turn plastic waste into products, but also to change people’s mindset towards waste. When they start to see the economic opportunities that come with being eco-friendly, they will be motivated to take action. Furthermore, in underserved communities like mine, plastic pollution is majorly influenced by economic disparity. My neighbors were trying to save money on waste collectors by dumping their trash into drains, which clogged drains during heavy rainfall caused by climate change. This worsens the floods that destroy properties and further widens the economic gap – and the cycle continues. Trash to Treasure aims to create a sustainable business model that diverts plastic waste from streets and landfills, turning them into handmade, durable products (without expensive machinery), such as our ottomans. This will also create employment for local residents in areas like waste sorting and production. By doing so, we are creating systemic change by tackling three interconnected problems: climate education, plastic pollution, and economic inequality.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
At 14, tired of waiting for a solution, I turned my school’s STEM club into a platform to raise awareness about plastic pollution. I soon went beyond awareness and used social media to promote DIY upcycling crafts. After getting positive feedback on my efforts, I launched my initiative, Trash to Treasure. Trash to Treasure is a youth-led climate-literacy initiative that empowers youth in underserved communities, starting with my community, to tackle plastic pollution and climate change through upcycling workshops, social media, and cleanups. My research on efforts to tackle plastic pollution revealed a gap: awareness alone wasn't enough. To create lasting change, people needed hands-on skills and the belief that they could be part of the solution. This solidified my core leadership philosophy: to teach, equip, and empower. At our upcycling workshops, students learn to transform discarded plastic bottles into reusable, salable products like ottomans and jewelry. This approach addresses the waste problem and provides a potential source of income. Through cleanups, students gain a sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship. Through our online communities, we continue to nurture their passion for sustainability post-workshop, keep them informed by delivering updates on this pressing issue, and share leadership opportunities like competitions and mentorship programs. At Trash to Treasure, we ensure that young people have the opportunity to become advocates and innovators for a greener planet. That they go from being observers to being changemakers.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
My initiative currently has 12 fully committed teenagers who contribute to its smooth running and success. There are 5 Team Leads and 7 volunteers (ages 17- 21) Naomi - Founder Anita - Manages Logistics Kenisha, Laura, Abigail, Amarachi, Nweke - Activities Coordination Team Mary & Aisha - Impact and Data Team Saula, Joy, Paul & Aminah - Social Media Team We have monthly team meetings and communicate through a WhatsApp group chat.
