As heaps of uncollected refuse continue to raise concerns in parts of Lagos, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has intensified enforcement against markets, businesses and institutions accused of violating waste management regulations.

The development has also triggered fresh criticism from the Campaign for Democratic Workers’ Rights (CDWR), which warned that prolonged accumulation of garbage across some communities could pose serious public health risks.

LAWMA’s latest enforcement drive is focused on the Ajah-Lekki axis, where the authority has identified several establishments for compliance action following repeated violations of waste management and other environmental regulations.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the affected establishments include Kodak Moment, Bayrock Lifestyle, Caelum Nigeria Ltd, Alpha Pharmacy, Amazon Farm, Ramayaa Mall, Simply Africa Place, Aries Safia, Wolly Mall, Delightful Toy Shop, New Creation Church, The Logic Church, Dow Eye Clinic, Time Oak Hotel, L OMP, Furniture House, Fashion Design Factory, De Phantom Hotel, Elizade Motors, Trinity, Living Faith Church, Premium Rentals, Christ Chapel Church and QMB Mart.

Gbadegesin said the authority had engaged and monitored the facilities before resorting to enforcement against persistent defaulters.

“We have continued to engage and monitor facilities to secure compliance, but where establishments continue to default after being given the opportunity to comply, we will take the necessary enforcement measures,” he said.

He added that commercial activities must not undermine proper waste management or residents’ right to a clean and orderly environment.

The enforcement followed a monitoring operation on August 25 by LAWMA’s Project WISE team, working with officials of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), the military and the Nigeria Police, at the Eleganza and Issa Imamu Market areas of Ajah.

At Eleganza, the team removed illegal structures erected by traders along road corridors and pedestrian walkways, which had obstructed motorists and pedestrians.

Issa Imamu Market was also sealed over what LAWMA described as persistent indiscriminate disposal of refuse along the roadside.

Gbadegesin said the authority would continue to combine engagement and improved waste management services with enforcement, urging businesses, markets, institutions and residents to meet their waste management obligations.

But while LAWMA is tightening the screws on environmental offenders, concerns over irregular waste collection remain widespread.

The CDWR National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Chinedu Bosah, accused the Lagos State Government and LAWMA of failing to adequately address the growing waste problem, alleging that refuse is left uncollected for weeks or months in some communities.

Bosah said the situation had turned some neighbourhoods into unofficial dumpsites, with rodents, flies and birds increasingly gathering around accumulated refuse.

He cited Harmony Estate and surrounding areas in Aboru, Alimosho Local Council, where he alleged that Urban Care, a Private Sector Participation (PSP) operator, sometimes goes more than 13 weeks without collecting household waste.

“The last time Urban Care PSP picked waste in many parts of Aboru community was on May 28, 2026. As a result of this obvious failure, rodents and wild birds have taken over the environment,” he alleged.

Bosah described the condition of some parts of Lagos as unacceptable for a state that prides itself as the “Centre of Excellence,” and urged residents to demand improved waste collection and disposal services from the government.

He also questioned the state’s public-private partnership model for waste management, alleging that private operators receive government support while residents continue to pay for waste collection.

Beyond regular evacuation of refuse, he called for a more integrated system based on waste sorting, recycling and waste-to-energy initiatives, arguing that Lagos must plan for rising waste generation rather than respond only when the problem becomes critical.

“What stops the Lagos State Government from planning for 20,000 tons daily and projecting for more as time goes on?” he asked.

Bosah further argued that local governments should play a stronger role in waste disposal, citing the responsibility assigned to them under the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

He also questioned the enforcement of environmental sanitation regulations when, according to him, residents are sometimes left without regular waste collection services.

“There is threat of epidemic due to overflown garbage attracting rodents, flies and birds that now compete with humans for space and survival,” he warned.

The contrasting positions highlight one of Lagos’ enduring environmental challenges: while residents and businesses are expected to comply with waste disposal rules, the state also faces mounting pressure to ensure that refuse generated daily is collected and evacuated promptly.

For residents living amid overflowing bins and mounting refuse, the issue is no longer simply one of environmental compliance but of public health, sanitation and the quality of life in Africa’s most populous city.xq