Lagos State generates between 13,000 and 16,000 tonnes of waste every day, putting increasing pressure on the state’s waste collection, transportation, treatment and disposal infrastructure, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has said.
The agency’s Managing Director, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this during a midterm media parley on the state of waste management in Lagos.
Gbadegesin attributed the growing challenge to the state’s estimated population of 24 million, rapid urbanisation and rising waste generation.
He said the situation required sustained investment in infrastructure and logistics, stronger enforcement and greater cooperation from residents to maintain a cleaner and healthier environment.
The LAWMA chief also attributed some of the recent difficulties in waste collection and disposal to heavy rainfall, flooding and problems accessing major disposal facilities.
“Usually, as every rainy season, we tend to have some challenges. However, this year was much worse, and we can’t deny that,” he said.
He said the Olusosun dumpsite, one of the state’s major disposal facilities, was approaching the end of its operational life and facing capacity constraints.
Flooding along access roads and disposal platforms had also disrupted the movement of waste trucks, he added.
In response, LAWMA rehabilitated Road E, a secondary access route to the Olusosun facility, and constructed additional disposal platforms with support from its private-sector partner, Zoomlion Nigeria.
Gbadegesin said the measures had improved access and reduced truck turnaround times, with the number of truck trips to the facility increasing from 1,394 to 1,781 during the period under review.
Average daily trips also rose from 278 to about 305.
New facilities planned
Beyond the immediate measures, LAWMA is developing two major transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities as part of efforts to reduce the state’s reliance on conventional landfill disposal.
Gbadegesin said one of the planned transfer stations would have the capacity to receive about 2,500 tonnes of waste a day in a controlled indoor environment before transferring it to long-distance trailers.
The authority is also planning material recovery facilities covering about 50 hectares each, where waste would be mechanically separated into organic materials, plastics, metals and textiles.
He said organic waste, which could account for about half of the waste stream, could be converted into compost, while recovered plastics could be processed into waste bins for distribution to residents.
More trucks needed
On waste collection, Gbadegesin said LAWMA had received 10 additional trucks from the Lagos State Lottery Fund, with six deployed for direct house-to-house collection in parts of Mushin where there were no functioning Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
The state is also expecting 150 additional compacted waste trucks before the end of the year. Local governments and Local Council Development Areas ordered 114 of the vehicles, while the state government ordered another 36.
Gbadegesin, however, said the number remained insufficient, noting that LAWMA’s assessment indicated that about 2,000 compacted trucks would be needed to provide adequate coverage across the state.
To improve waste collection in densely populated communities and areas with narrow roads, the authority is introducing smaller tricycle collection vehicles with capacities ranging from 500kg to one tonne.
The tricycles will collect waste from homes and businesses and transport it to designated transfer points, where larger trucks will move it to disposal or processing facilities.
LAWMA reviews PSP scheme
Gbadegesin also disclosed that LAWMA was reviewing the PSP scheme, which has operated in its current form for about two decades.
He said the review would take into account factors including population density, topography, waste generation and the cost of servicing different areas.
Six stakeholder working groups have been established to develop recommendations for restructuring the scheme, he added.
The LAWMA managing director said waste management should be treated as a business, although he acknowledged that government intervention would remain necessary in low-income communities where residents might not be able to afford the full cost of waste collection.
He also said the agency had strengthened enforcement in collaboration with other state agencies, warning that indiscriminate waste disposal would lead to arrest and prosecution.
Alongside enforcement, LAWMA is expanding public education campaigns in markets, estates and communities.
Its academy and internship programmes are also being used to educate young people about waste management and potential economic opportunities within the sector.
Gbadegesin said the authority’s long-term objective was to move Lagos from a linear waste management model towards a circular economy based on waste separation at source, recycling, composting, material recovery, waste-to-energy projects and biogas production.
“We must have the capacity to collect, transport, treat and safely dispose of waste,” he said.
He stressed that achieving a cleaner and more sustainable Lagos would require sustained government investment, private-sector participation and greater cooperation from residents.
