The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has intensified its campaign for a cleaner environment through a combination of large-scale waste evacuation, community recycling initiatives, public education and enforcement against indiscriminate dumping across the state.

As part of the effort, the authority deployed eight compactor trucks and a large team of sanitation personnel to clear accumulated waste along the median of Ayobo–Isefun Road, even as enforcement officers, advocacy teams and environmental health officials moved in to prevent the cleared areas from being used as dumping points again.

The operation continued despite Sunday morning rainfall, with sanitation workers and members of LAWMA’s management team remaining on the ground to evacuate the waste. Several sections of the road were subsequently left visibly clean.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the intervention was part of the authority’s sustained efforts to strengthen its zero-waste initiative and address both waste accumulation and the behaviours that contribute to its recurrence.

“Our commitment to achieving a cleaner Lagos remains unwavering. We will continue to deploy the necessary equipment and manpower to clear accumulated waste, while also addressing the behaviours and service gaps that contribute to its recurrence,” he said.

Gbadegesin added that the evacuation would continue until the entire stretch was cleared, warning that the authority would not allow rehabilitated locations to become dumping points again.

While the clean-up was underway, LAWMA enforcement officers served notices on non-compliant premises along the corridor, while members of the Advocacy Team and Environmental Health Officers engaged residents and traders on responsible waste disposal.

The authority also warned that stiffer measures would be taken against persistent illegal dumpers and erring Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators whose service failures contribute to waste accumulation.

Beyond the immediate clean-up, LAWMA has also intensified efforts to make communities active participants in waste management and recycling.

At Osborne Foreshore Phase 1, the authority is distributing 100 tagged recycling bins to households under its Community Buy-Back Programme, while the LAWMA Academy is sensitising residents on waste separation at source and the proper use of the bins.

The authority is also documenting the addresses of beneficiaries and the number of bins allocated to different sections of the estate to strengthen accountability and monitor the programme.

In Ijora-Badia, LAWMA supported a community clean-up organised by the Sustainable Urban Future Development Initiative (SUDFI) to mark World Cleanup Day 2026.

Members of the Joint Abete Community Development Association (CDA) participated in the exercise, which tackled accumulated waste and blocked drains along Adetola/Afolabi Aladia Street, Lawan Close and Caliberian Oladehinde Avenue.

Gbadegesin said the community-focused interventions reflected LAWMA’s determination to move beyond simply collecting waste to changing how residents generate, sort and dispose of it.

“Achieving a cleaner Lagos requires more than collecting waste; it requires changing how we generate, sort and dispose of waste.

“We are supporting communities with the awareness and practical tools they need to participate actively in responsible waste management and recycling,” he said.

At the same time, LAWMA’s enforcement drive has continued, with the arrest of a truck operator accused of dumping a large quantity of waste, including construction debris, at an unauthorised location around Majidun Bus Stop, Ikorodu.

The operator was intercepted on Friday, October 2, by the LAWMA Project WISE Team, led by Oladeji Adebayo, while the waste was allegedly being discharged at the site. The truck and its operator were subsequently apprehended for further enforcement action.

Gbadegesin said the authority would continue to target waste generators and operators who deliberately flout approved disposal channels.

“We will continue to intensify enforcement against illegal dumping, particularly where waste is deliberately taken to unauthorised locations.

“Waste generators and operators must use approved channels for disposal, as indiscriminate dumping undermines our collective efforts towards achieving a cleaner Lagos,” he said.

The Joint Abete CDA executives commended LAWMA and SUDFI for the Ijora-Badia intervention and urged residents to take greater responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean and disposing of waste properly.

The Director of Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, said LAWMA was deliberately combining enforcement with public education and stakeholder engagement to improve compliance with waste management regulations.

“Residents, businesses and waste generators have a responsibility to dispose of their waste through approved channels. Dumping waste on roads, in drains, waterways or other unauthorised locations poses a threat to the environment and undermines efforts to keep Lagos clean,” Sanusi said.

LAWMA said its evacuation of waste along Ayobo–Isefun Road would continue until the entire stretch was cleared, urging residents, businesses and other waste generators to cooperate with its teams and refrain from indiscriminate disposal.

The authority said it would also continue working with communities, estates and other stakeholders to promote source separation, recycling and responsible waste disposal, while enforcing regulations against persistent offenders.