Lagos residents generate 5.46m tonnes of waste annually – LAWMA

Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), says the state’s residents generate 5.46 million tonnes of waste annually.

Gbadegesin said this at a one-day stakeholders’ interactive forum on sustainable waste management on Thursday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, Gbadegesin said the city’s 23 million residents generate 5.46 million tonnes of waste annually.

Gbadegesin said that the state government would soon acquire 100 Compress Natural Gas trucks for the operations of Private Sector Participants (PSPs).

He also highlighted the progress recorded and unveiled plans for strategic waste management in the state.

According to him, LAWMA is managing the waste through a range of initiatives, anchored on effective collection, treatment and disposal.

“We are committed to providing efficient waste management services to all Lagosians. With our team of dedicated staff, we manage domestic, commercial, and medical waste across the state.

“We also sweep 963 routes and collect solid waste from the lagoons and waterways,” Gbadegesin said.

He said a large portion of the waste generated in the state come from households, with LAWMA overseeing its transportation and treatment through partnerships with 420 PSPs.

He added that the efforts were supplemented by sweeping services across major streets, managed by 16,361 street sweepers.

He underscored the impact of the authority’s waste recovery initiatives, emphasising the growing focus on recycling and circular economy principles.

He noted that LAWMA had introduced a two-bin system for households, one bin for general waste and the other for recyclables.

“This system will help households segregate waste at the source, boosting recycling efforts and reducing the volume of waste that ends up in landfills.

“We have already established community recycling centres and are partnering with retail points to promote extended producer responsibility,” Gbadegesin said.

He stated that, in line with the state’s T.H.E.M.E.S.+ agenda focused on health and the environment, LAWMA was exploring waste-to-energy projects.

He said the authority would revive a pilot biogas production plant at Ketu Fruit Market, where organic waste would be converted to energy.

“We are committed to using advanced technologies to transform waste into resources, reducing Lagos’ dependence on landfills and contributing to the state’s energy needs,” Gbadegesin said.

He said that LAWMA was tackling marine waste and hazardous materials to protect the state’s waterways and reduce environmental hazards.

He while planning to increase recycling rates by 25 per cent in the next three years.

He added that the authority was transforming waste disposal facilities into eco-parks and waste treatment plants for a more sustainable city.

“Our work extends beyond the streets. We are involved in marine waste collection and the safe disposal of hazardous materials, ensuring a cleaner and safer Lagos.

“We are determined to build a cleaner, greener Lagos for future generations,” Gbadegesin said.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Mr Rotimi Akodu, called for a synergy between players in the public and private sectors to achieve a cleaner and sustainable environment.

Akodu said the government had embarked on various initiatives, aimed at improving the environment.

In his address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Omobolaji Gaji, described the event as an important one, capable of proffering solutions to waste management challenges in the state.

Represented by Dr Hassan Sanuth, Director, Sanitation, Gaji said the peculiarity of the Lagos environment made it necessary for urgent actions to be taken, to tackle a myriad of environmental constraints facing the metropolis.

He urged the populace to join hands with the state government to make the environment better.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Director of LAWMA, Mr Kunle Adebiyi, said the ongoing challenges of managing the enormous volume of waste generated daily by residents, informed its decision to launch the “Adopt-a-bin” initiative.

Adebiyi said the initiative was targeted at promoting waste containerisation, adding that the stakeholders’ forum provided an avenue to explore workable options in meeting waste management needs of residents.

“The task of managing the huge volume of waste remains challenging, hence the need for a forum like this, where we can jointly examine all workable options available to us, and fine-tune strategies to ensure that we remain on top of the situation,” Adebiyi said.