UI Student Converts Waste Grass To Ecobags Mart

A student of the University of Ibadan, Ifeoluwa Garba, has developed a method of converting waste grass into recyclable paper bags.

Garba, who initially missed out on studying Mechanical Engineering and was instead admitted into Wood and Biomaterial Engineering, said the detour unexpectedly provided the foundation for building an environmentally sustainable business.

The idea, he explained, was sparked by his frustration with waste and packaging systems in Africa, as well as insights gained from Afrotalks, a think tank that promotes African-led solutions.

“Africans are leaving the diaspora back in Africa, and they want to make sense out of Africa. I began to perceive that this was already happening,” he said.

Garba traced the inspiration for Ecobag Mart to a 2022 medical outreach trip to Epe village in Osun State.

He recalled travelling past heavy drilling machines and deep pits into a community where residents lived in extreme poverty.

“Malnourished children, collapsing houses, no infrastructure, no schools, no opportunities. Nigeria exports wealth, but the communities closest to the resources remain the poorest,” he said.

Driven by curiosity rather than profit, he began experimenting with turning dried grass into paper after seeing a video on the process.

Although his lecturer initially discouraged using a short, resilient type of grass, Garba said that continued experimentation proved the material to be viable.

He later abandoned grass collection due to logistics difficulties and switched to readily available agricultural waste.

After several iterations, he secured a patent for his formula. In order to scale production beyond the manual process, Garba said he built a low-budget factory and acquired basic machinery despite limited funding.

As operations expanded, he brought in two co-founders: Olawale Omofojoye, who manages raw material sourcing, and Christabel Egbegi, an environmental expert offering advisory support from the United Kingdom.

“Getting a team was one of the challenging parts. I was basically going nuts trying to manufacture and go for pitching competitions. I needed friends who could fill in a few spaces,” Garba said.

Ecobag’s prototype has a rough, sturdy texture influenced by the current processing machine. Garba said smoother textures would be possible with more advanced machinery. The bag’s handles, also made of paper, were designed to keep the product fully biodegradable.

Ecobag Mart had gained traction through social media, exhibitions and pitching competitions. Garba said a short Instagram video from a contest generated several enquiries.

He added that food and cosmetic companies also indicated interest in the cheaper alternative to conventional paper bags at the exhibition.

Garba said the company was now focused on improving the physical appearance of the bags and increasing production.

He believes that Ecobag Mart can evolve from a prototype stage into a scalable business that demonstrates how local innovation can address global challenges such as waste management and sustainability.

“We’re committed to making this work. This thing can actually work out,” he added.