LAGOS/Nigeria: The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is expanding its waste management infrastructure and enforcement operations as it responds to the 13,000 to 16,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily across the state.
The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this at the authority’s 2026 Mid-Year Media Parley in Lagos, where he outlined measures aimed at improving waste evacuation while reducing the state’s dependence on conventional dumpsites.
Gbadegesin said the volume of waste generated daily required sustained investment in infrastructure, logistics, enforcement and public participation.
He said LAWMA’s approach combines immediate measures to improve waste collection and evacuation with longer-term investments in waste recovery, recycling and resource utilisation.
One of the immediate challenges, according to him, was the effect of recent heavy rainfall on access to parts of the Olusosun disposal facility, which slowed truck movement and increased turnaround time.
He said LAWMA responded by rehabilitating Road E, constructing additional disposal platforms and improving truck circulation and access within the facility.
Gbadegesin said the intervention had eased the operational bottleneck and improved the movement of waste collection trucks into the disposal area.
Beyond the immediate evacuation measures, he said LAWMA was developing new Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) to improve the movement of waste from collection points to disposal and processing facilities.
Two major TLS facilities are being developed at the Olusosun and Solus III sites in partnership with Zoomlion Nigeria Ltd., with each facility designed to handle about 2,500 metric tonnes of waste daily.
According to Gbadegesin, the facilities would help streamline waste logistics and reduce pressure on disposal sites by allowing waste to be consolidated and transferred more efficiently.
The authority is also developing Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in Ikorodu and Badagry to process materials coming through the transfer system.
Gbadegesin said additional material recovery hubs were being established across the state’s 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas as part of a broader plan to increase waste recovery and recycling.
He said the strategy was intended to move Lagos towards a circular economy in which waste would increasingly be recovered and converted into useful materials instead of being sent directly to dumpsites.
“We are preparing Lagos for life after dumpsites,” Gbadegesin said, describing the circular economy roadmap as a key part of the authority’s medium- and long-term strategy.
Under the emerging system, he said waste management would increasingly focus on sorting, recovery, recycling and the conversion of discarded materials into resources.
While infrastructure remains central to the plan, Gbadegesin said LAWMA was also intensifying enforcement against indiscriminate waste disposal.
He said the authority’s Project WISE operations include enforcement against illegal dumping, closure of markets that repeatedly violate waste regulations, as well as the arrest and prosecution of environmental offenders.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA maintained a zero-tolerance position on indiscriminate waste disposal, but acknowledged that infrastructure alone could not address the problem without changes in public behaviour.
He said the authority was consequently expanding awareness and advocacy programmes in schools, markets, residential estates and communities, with emphasis on waste sorting, recycling and responsible disposal.
The LAWMA chief also identified partnerships with Zoomlion Nigeria Ltd., Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN), local councils and other private-sector stakeholders as important to improving the state’s waste management system.
He said the partnerships would strengthen operational capacity while supporting the long-term sustainability of waste management services.
With Lagos generating up to 16,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, LAWMA’s investments in transfer stations, material recovery facilities and community-level recovery hubs are expected to increase the state’s capacity to handle waste while shifting greater emphasis towards recovery and reuse.
The authority’s stated long-term direction is to progressively move Lagos away from heavy dependence on conventional dumpsites towards a system in which waste is sorted, recovered, recycled and converted into useful resources.
