Lagos Implements Sweeping Reforms to End Waste Backlog, Improve Sanitation

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is undertaking significant infrastructure, regulatory, and operational reforms to address the persistent waste backlog and enhance environmental sanitation across the state. Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, LAWMA's Managing Director, revealed these initiatives, attributing recent waste accumulation on streets to aging landfill facilities, increased waste generation, heavy rainfall, and inadequate disposal infrastructure.

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The challenge is not just population growth. Two of our major disposal sites, Olusosun and Solous III, have reached the end of their operational lives.

Lagos currently generates an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 tonnes of waste daily. Gbadegesin explained that two major disposal sites, Olusosun and Solous III, have reached the end of their operational lives. LAWMA is transitioning to a modern waste management system, replacing conventional dumpsites with Transfer Loading Stations, Material Recovery Facilities, and waste-to-energy plants. These new facilities, including transfer stations at Olusosun and Solous, are designed to handle thousands of tonnes of waste daily, processing it for recycling, composting, or energy generation, with only a small residual amount going to engineered landfills.

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We are now carrying out end-of-life operations while transitioning to a more modern waste management system.

The projects are expected to create approximately 5,000 direct jobs and become operational in the first quarter of 2027. LAWMA is also deploying waste-to-energy technologies, such as biodigesters that convert organic waste into biogas for electricity and cooking gas, citing the Ikoyi Fruit Market biodigester as an example.

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The organic fraction will become compost or energy, plastics will be recycled into products such as waste bins, while only a small residual fraction will end up in engineered landfills.

Despite these advancements, Gbadegesin highlighted poor public compliance with waste management regulations as a major obstacle. He noted that many households fail to maintain waste bins or subscribe to licensed Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, creating financial struggles for operators and impacting service delivery. He urged residents to avoid dumping refuse on roadsides when PSP operators face delays, emphasizing the need for resident cooperation to achieve effective sanitation in Lagos.

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A significant number of residents are not complying.