The Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, says it is adopting a more systemic approach to tackling recurrent waste blackspots across the state, combining intensified waste evacuation with improved collection services, enforcement, infrastructure upgrades and community engagement.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Doctor Muyiwa Gbadegesin, stressed that repeated evacuation of waste from road medians and other hotspots was not enough to achieve sustainable results.
Gbadegesin said the Authority was now focusing on addressing the operational and behavioural factors responsible for the recurrence of waste at previously cleared locations.
He explained that while waste backlogs were being cleared, LAWMA was simultaneously working to ensure that waste generated in surrounding communities was properly captured, collected and evacuated, while enforcement was being strengthened against indiscriminate dumping and illegal waste collection.
“Our approach is changing from simply clearing waste backlogs to addressing what causes them to return. Where there are service gaps, we are working with stakeholders to improve collection; where there is indiscriminate dumping, we are enforcing compliance; and where locations have been cleared, we are putting measures in place to prevent redumping,” he said.
The LAWMA’s boss said the approach was already being implemented in areas including Ayobo-Ipaja, where sustained waste evacuation was being combined with enforcement against illegal waste collectors, markets and commercial facilities that default on proper waste disposal.
He said in Mushin and Odi-Olowo, the Authority had deployed collection trucks into inner streets following the clearance of waste from major road medians, to improve access to collection services and discourage residents from returning waste to the cleared locations.
Gbadegesin also highlighted the recent upgrade of critical infrastructure at the Olusosun Disposal Facility, saying improved access and faster truck turnaround had contributed to increased operational capacity.
He said LAWMA was strengthening its collaboration with Private Sector Participation, PSP, operators through a participatory reform process focused on better route management, service delivery, fleet capacity, technology-driven monitoring, accountability and the sustainability of the waste management sector.
According to him, enforcement against illegal waste operators, unauthorised markets and other activities contributing to indiscriminate dumping was also being intensified, alongside increased engagement with communities and other stakeholders.
Gbadegesin stressed that behavioural change remained essential to sustaining a cleaner Lagos, noting that indiscriminate dumping often persisted despite the availability of approved waste collection arrangements.
“A clean city cannot be sustained by government action alone. We need residents, businesses, markets, PSP operators and communities to take responsibility for how waste is generated, handled and disposed of clearing a location only for it to become a dumping point again is not sustainable,” he said.
He said the ultimate objective of the state government was to establish a sustainable waste management system driven by the circular economy, pointing to ongoing initiatives such as the development of transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities, as well as the promotion of waste-to-wealth and waste-to-energy.
Gbadegesin reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to a coordinated and data-driven response to recurrent waste hotspots, combining operational interventions, enforcement, stakeholder engagement and infrastructure development.
He urged residents to patronise approved waste collection services, report service gaps and shun indiscriminate dumping, stressing that keeping Lagos clean remained a shared responsibility.
