Design a Financially Sustainable Solid Waste Management System for a Nigerian City

Nigerian municipal solid waste management is a systemic failure. Most state waste management agencies collect a fraction of waste generated, have ageing vehicle fleets, no financial sustainability, and minimal recycling. The informal waste economy — scavengers, itinerant buyers, and small recyclers — processes a significant fraction of recyclable materials but without integration into the formal system. The result is that most Nigerian cities look and smell of accumulated garbage, with public health consequences measured in thousands of deaths per year. Your challenge is to design a financially sustainable municipal solid waste management system for one Nigerian city with a population between 500,000 and 3 million. The model must collect at least 70% of solid waste generated, divert at least 30% from landfill through recycling or composting, and generate enough revenue to cover at least 80% of operating costs without government subsidy. Submit a system design document (max 12 pages) including: the collection model and vehicle fleet, the recycling and composting infrastructure, the revenue model (household fees, recyclables sales, compost sales), how the informal sector is integrated rather than displaced, the cost structure, and a 36-month financial projection. Judging criteria: 35% financial model and 80% cost recovery design, 30% collection coverage and diversion model, 20% informal sector integration, 15% city-specific adaptation.