Lagos and the refuse dumps: Authorities urged to find lasting solutions

Lagos State is grappling with a significant environmental crisis as waste has inundated most parts of the city over the past six months. Operators in the waste management sector attribute this overwhelming accumulation to a critical deficit in final disposal sites and operational dumpsters, compounded by accessibility challenges.

Tokunbo Wahab, the state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, has publicly apologized to residents for the ongoing waste management difficulties. However, the immediate concern is finding a lasting solution to what has become a perennial problem, transforming parts of the state into an environmental nightmare.

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Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process.

The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the severity of such issues in its December 2025 report, "Throwing away our health: the impacts of solid waste on human health, evidence, knowledge gaps and health sector response." The report warns that poorly managed solid waste is fueling a public health crisis and calls for urgent action to protect both people and the environment.

"Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process," stated Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO Director for Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration. He emphasized that treating waste as an afterthought locks in "avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities," urging that health and equity be central to waste management strategies.

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If we continue to treat waste as an afterthought, we will lock in avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities.

The WHO report details how solid waste, particularly municipal waste, contaminates air, water, soil, and food. Uncollected, dumped, or improperly burned waste can release hazardous chemicals, pollute drinking water, and create breeding grounds for pests. Communities with inadequate waste management services, those living near dumpsites, children, pregnant women, and informal waste workers face the highest risks, a reality experienced by residents in areas like Ojota, Igando, and Abule-Egba.

Conversely, the report notes that properly managed waste can be a resource, generating energy and creating green jobs. It advocates for a coordinated, multisectoral approach based on the waste hierarchy: prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, and safe disposal. Key actions include reducing waste generation at the source, expanding collection services, improving controls at recovery and disposal facilities, and eliminating open dumping.

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This report is a clear call to put health and equity at the centre of how we design, manage and ultimately reduce waste.