Declares ‘small state of emergency’ to ensure proper waste management

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday said that the state had declared a “small state of emergency” to ensure proper waste management.

He also announced that several interventions would be implemented along with the state of emergency.

The governor, therefore, warned residents against indiscriminate dumping of waste.

Sanwo-Olu, while speaking during his visit to Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, said the state government recognised the recent pressure on waste collection and the indiscriminate dumping of refuse across the state.

The governor said that the government would immediately increase the capacity of Olusosun and other dumpsites to improve the turnaround time for waste trucks to empty their contents, aside from deploying additional equipment and opening more waste-receiving locations.

He noted that Olusosun currently receives between 220 and 250 trucks daily, but the government plans to increase this to between 350 and 450 trucks by expanding the number of tipping points from two or three to four or five.

The governor added that Solous 3 in Alimosho, Ewu Elepe in Ikorodu, Oke Osho in Epe and Erekiti in Badagry would also be activated or improved to have multiple operational waste-receiving sites within the next 30 to 60 days.

He said that the expansion would reduce the hours waste collection trucks spend waiting at dumpsites and improve collection efficiency across the state.

The governor announced that the state had ordered 160 new compactor trucks, which he said would begin arriving soon to boost waste collection from homes and roads.

He also disclosed that the government was considering the procurement of landfill compactors, while waste collection operators were being encouraged to invest in additional equipment.

Sanwo-Olu said that the Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators had agreed to review their membership and remove operators who no longer have the capacity or willingness to provide effective services.

He said the exercise would create room for new investors while ensuring that only capable operators remain in the system.

The governor, therefore, appealed to residents to pay for waste collection services.

He also announced an imminent restructuring of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), faulting what he described as an excessive concentration of senior officials in offices while operational personnel were needed on the streets and at dumpsites.