The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, has said Lagos is facing a major waste management challenge driven by rapid population growth, inadequate infrastructure, poor payment culture and outdated landfill systems.
Speaking on Lagos Television’s The Conversation, Gbadegesin said the state generates between 13,000 and 16,000 tons of waste every day, with an estimated population of about 22 million people. He described the scale of daily waste collection as a difficult cycle that must be repeated continuously.
“No matter how hard you work today to collect waste, transport and dispose, tomorrow you start all over again. The same cycle,” he said.
According to him, Lagos requires at least 1,000 functioning compactor trucks to manage its waste effectively. However, only about 450 to 500 trucks are currently operational across LAWMA and Private Sector Participant, PSP, operators.
Gbadegesin said the situation has been worsened by harsh economic conditions, rising operational costs and the refusal of many residents to pay for waste collection services. He noted that a single heavy-duty truck tyre now costs about ₦250,000, meaning 10 tyres for one truck could cost about ₦2.5 million.
“Waste collection is not free,” he said. “You are expected to pay the PSP operator so that they can fund their own activities, buy diesel, buy spare parts, buy tyres, batteries.”
To address the infrastructure deficit, Gbadegesin said the state is moving to decommission its two major central landfill sites at Olusosun and Solus, which he described as expired and environmentally unsuitable for a fast-expanding city.
He disclosed that LAWMA, in partnership with Zoomlion, is developing a five-hectare fully enclosed Transfer Loading Station at the front of the Olusosun site. The facility, expected to be completed by the end of 2026, will serve LAWMA and PSP trucks and replace active dumping on the old landfill mound.
“Once that is completed, hopefully by the end of the year, we’ll be able to stop the operation of that landfill. We cover it up, cap it, and we have ideas of putting a solar farm on top of it,” he said.
The LAWMA boss said Lagos must also move away from a linear system of collecting and dumping mixed waste, towards a circular economy that separates valuable materials and converts them into economic products.
“Most of what we throw away can be repurposed for other things,” he said. “If we do that, we reduce the amount of waste that we need to carry with all these expensive trucks and go and bury somewhere.”
He said organic waste makes up about 50 percent of Lagos’ daily waste and highlighted a pilot biodigester project in Ikosi, where rotten fruits such as watermelon and pineapple are being converted into biogas to power generators, lighting and cooking.
Gbadegesin also revealed that the state has a five-year plan to develop a larger biogas facility that will produce biomethane for the LAMATA, LAWMA and PSP fleets. He added that LAWMA has already begun converting some trucks from diesel to Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, in partnership with local oil and gas firms.
On recycling, he said local government chairmen have been asked to provide land for neighbourhood recyclable collection centres, where residents can bring clean plastics, paper and cardboard in exchange for cash at market rates. He cited a successful programme around the Simpson Transfer Loading Station on Lagos Island, where residents are paid immediately for recyclables.
Addressing indiscriminate dumping and illegal occupation of public spaces, Gbadegesin defended stronger enforcement, saying it is necessary to maintain order in a densely populated city.
“When we talk about zero tolerance, it means that the laws of Lagos must be obeyed,” he said. “If you want to live in Lagos, you must obey laws.”
He said LAWMA, the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, OP MESA and other agencies recently carried out a 10-day enforcement operation along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway corridor, targeting illegal structures and waste dumping between LASU Gate and Okokomaiko. According to him, about 10,000 illegal occupants were identified along the corridor.
“One of them, so lawless, had even sunk a borehole in the median and was selling water to other people,” he said.
Gbadegesin also linked blocked drains and flash flooding to poor public behaviour, including the dumping of refuse into drainage channels during rainfall. He said the state is recruiting more Environmental Health Officers, with the goal of having at least one officer in every ward to support advocacy, house-to-house inspection and enforcement.
He backed stricter local environmental rules, including fines for homes without waste bins, noting that residents are legally required to maintain bins, clean their frontage and keep drainage channels clear.
“If Lagos is spotless, you will have less crime as well,” he said. “Cleanliness is important not just for aesthetics; it is also important for your health and your security.”
Despite recent service disruptions caused by rainy season access challenges at landfill sites, Gbadegesin said residents should see a cleaner Lagos within the next month, with more significant improvements by the end of 2026 and early 2027 as new trucks, transfer stations, recycling centres and tricycle compactors are deployed.
He said LAWMA conducts monthly reviews of PSP operators and may resume publishing their performance records so residents can identify those delivering quality service.
“We don’t want waste on our roads in Lagos,” he said. “If you have any issue or delay, reach out to us directly and we’ll be able to help you solve that.”
