#WORLD CLEANUP DAY
LAGOS/Nigeria: The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has taken its 2026 World Cleanup Day campaign to markets and other public locations across the state, working with Green Janitors to remove accumulated waste and promote greater community participation in environmental sanitation.
The activities were contained in a statement issued by Mukaila Sanusi, Director of Public Affairs, LAWMA, following the sanitation exercise conducted across selected locations in Lagos on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
The cleanup covered Igando Market, Badagry Roundabout, Olorunda and Lord Mayor’s Club in Badagry, as well as Oke-Afa Market in Isolo, where LAWMA personnel and Green Janitors carried out sweeping, waste evacuation and other sanitation activities.
The exercise formed part of activities marking World Cleanup Day, an international environmental campaign that seeks to mobilise individuals, communities, organisations and governments to take practical action against waste pollution and environmental degradation.
Speaking on the exercise, LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the campaign was intended to reinforce the importance of sustained environmental sanitation beyond a single cleanup event.
Gbadegesin said the initiative also provided an opportunity to encourage greater public participation in keeping communities clean and protecting the environment.
He urged businesses and corporate organisations to support environmental sanitation and the beautification of public spaces through their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
According to him, stronger partnerships between government, businesses and communities could complement public-sector efforts and help sustain improvements achieved through environmental interventions.
The LAWMA chief executive also appealed to residents and traders to take responsibility for waste generated in their homes, markets and businesses by properly packaging refuse and handing it over to accredited Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
He stressed that the effectiveness of cleanup campaigns ultimately depended on what residents did after the cleanup teams had left.
“The message of World Cleanup Day should go beyond the day,” Gbadegesin said, stressing the need for behavioural change and collective responsibility in achieving a cleaner Lagos.
LAWMA’s collaboration with Green Janitors is particularly relevant in Badagry, where the waste management company is listed by the authority among registered recyclers serving the area.
The authority’s emphasis on sustained waste collection and proper disposal comes amid continuing efforts to improve environmental compliance across Lagos. LAWMA maintains lists of approved PSP operators and recyclers serving different local government areas and communities across the state.
The World Cleanup Day exercise therefore combined immediate waste removal with a broader call for residents, traders, market associations and businesses to adopt responsible disposal practices.
LAWMA said sustained behavioural change, rather than periodic sanitation exercises alone, remained essential to maintaining cleaner public spaces across Lagos.
