Lagos State’s struggle to keep pace with its mountains of daily refuse is intensifying, with the state generating between 13,000 and 16,000 tonnes of waste every day, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has said.

The scale of the waste, driven by the state’s estimated 24 million population and rapid urbanisation, has placed enormous pressure on existing collection, transportation, treatment and disposal infrastructure, LAWMA Managing Director, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said.

Speaking during the midterm media parley on the state of waste management, yesterday, Gbadegesin said the situation required sustained investment, improved logistics, stronger enforcement and greater participation by residents to achieve a cleaner and healthier environment.

He attributed some of the recent waste management difficulties across the state to heavy rainfall, flooding and challenges accessing major disposal facilities.

“Usually, as every rainy season, we tend to have some challenges. However, this year was much worse, and we can’t deny that,” he said.

Gbadegesin explained that the major dumpsite, Olusosun was facing capacity constraints as it approached the end of its operational life, while flooding on access roads and disposal platforms had further disrupted waste collection and disposal.

To ease the pressure, LAWMA rehabilitated Road E, a secondary access route to the dumpsite, and constructed additional disposal platforms with support from private-sector partner, Zoomlion Nigeria.

He said the interventions had improved access and reduced the turnaround time for waste trucks, with truck trips to the disposal facility rising from 1,394 to 1,781 during the period under review. Average daily trips also increased from 278 to about 305.

Beyond emergency interventions, Gbadegesin said the agency is developing two major transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities as part of efforts to reduce dependence on traditional landfills.

According to Gbadegesin, one of the transfer stations will be capable of receiving about 2,500 tonnes of waste daily in a controlled indoor environment before transferring it into long-distance trailers.

“The authority is also planning material recovery facilities covering about 50 hectares each, where waste will be mechanically separated into organic materials, plastics, metals and textiles.

“The organic component, which could account for about half of the waste stream, would be converted into compost, while recovered plastics could be processed into waste bins for distribution to residents,” he said.

On collection, Gbadegesin said LAWMA has received 10 additional trucks from the Lagos State Lottery Fund, with six deployed for direct house-to-house collection in parts of Mushin without functioning Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.

The authority is also expecting 150 additional compacted waste trucks before the end of the year. Local Government and Local Council Development Areas ordered 114, while the state government ordered another 36.

Gbadegesin, however, said Lagos still needed significantly more trucks, noting that the authority’s analysis showed about 2,000 compacted vehicles would be required for adequate coverage.

To reach densely populated communities and areas with narrow roads, he said LAWMA is introducing smaller tricycle waste collection vehicles with capacities of between 500 kilogrammes and one tonne.

The tricycles will collect waste from homes and businesses and convey it to designated transfer points, where larger trucks will transport it to disposal or processing facilities.

The LAWMA boss said the authority was also reviewing the PSP scheme, which has operated in its current form for about two decades, to take into account population density, topography, waste generation and the cost of servicing each area.

He said the review was being conducted with stakeholders through six working groups to develop recommendations for a restructured scheme.

Gbadegesin stressed that waste management should be treated as a business, while acknowledging that government would need to subsidise services in low-income communities where residents might struggle to pay.

He also said LAWMA had strengthened enforcement in collaboration with other state agencies, warning that indiscriminate waste disposal would attract arrest and prosecution.

Beyond enforcement, he noted that the authority is expanding public education through campaigns in markets, estates and communities, while its academy and internship programmes are being used to educate young people about waste management and its economic opportunities.

Gbadegesin said LAWMA’s long-term goal was to transform Lagos from a linear waste management system into a circular economy through waste sorting at source, recycling, composting, material recovery, waste-to-energy projects and biogas production.

“We must have the capacity to collect, transport, treat and safely dispose of waste,” he said, stressing that achieving a cleaner and sustainable Lagos would require government investment, private-sector participation and the cooperation of residents.