Lagos State Government has announced plans to complete the ongoing Transfer Loading Station at the Olusosun dumpsite before the end of 2026, as part of efforts to modernise waste management and decongest the state’s largest landfill.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Saturday during an inspection of the project after monitoring the monthly environmental sanitation exercise alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Surulere Local Government Area.
According to Wahab, the facility, being developed by concessionaire Zoomlion, will transfer approximately 2,500 metric tonnes of waste daily from Olusosun to the Material Recovery Facility in Ikorodu, where recyclable materials and other recoverable resources will be processed.
He said the project aligns with the state’s waste-to-wealth initiative, which seeks to transform waste into valuable resources, including energy and recyclable products.
“As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, Zoomlion will also rehabilitate and stabilise the 1.2-kilometre access road leading to the dumpsite,” Wahab said, adding that the contractor had committed to increasing work on the project to round-the-clock operations to meet the completion deadline.
“Our commitment is that before the end of the year, Lagos residents will begin to see efforts aimed at decongesting the Olusosun landfill, while converting waste into wealth through resource recovery,” he stated.
The commissioner described the project as a key component of Lagos State’s landfill management reforms, stressing that the traditional “pick-and-dump” waste disposal system had become unsustainable.
“Lagos cannot continue with the linear waste management system it has operated for more than four decades. Beyond climate concerns, we simply do not have the land to sustain it. What was once on the outskirts of Lagos is now surrounded by urban development and has become an eyesore,” he said.
Wahab urged residents to begin seeing waste as a valuable resource capable of generating wealth, energy and other economic benefits.
He highlighted ongoing initiatives already delivering results, noting that Lafarge uses combustible waste from Lagos to power its operations, while fruit waste generated at Ikosi Fruit Market is converted into energy through a biodigester that powers the market.
He added that recyclable plastics and compost produced through Harvest Waste Limited would significantly reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills, while the company’s proposed waste-to-energy plant would process between 1,500 and 2,500 tonnes of waste daily.
“In developed economies, waste is treated as a resource. That is the transition Lagos is making, and residents will begin to experience the benefits,” Wahab said.
The commissioner also disclosed that the state government plans to acquire additional waste compactors, including electric-powered compactors, to strengthen operations of Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
He further revealed plans to deploy tricycle compactors to service inner streets and narrow roads inaccessible to conventional waste trucks, reducing indiscriminate dumping on roads and medians.
“Reforms take time. There is no magic wand. We must continue fixing existing challenges while implementing long-term solutions,” he added.
Officials who accompanied the commissioner included the Special Adviser on the Environment, Engr. Kunle Rotimi-Akodu; Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen; Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin; Director of Drainage Construction, Engr. Dapo Ajadi; Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Mrs. Khadijat Adeyemo, and other senior government officials.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Head of Service, Bode Agoro, has expressed satisfaction with the growing participation of residents in the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
Agoro, who monitored the exercise in Kosofe Local Government Area, said public response had continued to improve since the initiative was reintroduced.
“This is the third edition of the exercise, and many residents are beginning to understand that it is a monthly commitment rather than a one-off programme. We are encouraged by the increasing number of people coming out to clean their surroundings, although sustained public enlightenment is still needed to improve compliance,” he said.
He called on corporate organisations to partner with the state government in promoting environmental sanitation through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“We already have organisations such as Lafarge supporting the initiative through CSR. We encourage more corporate organisations to emulate this example so that together we can build a cleaner and healthier Lagos,” Agoro said.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment through regular sanitation exercises and urged residents to continue supporting the initiative by keeping their surroundings clean and complying with environmental regulations.
Agoro was accompanied during the monitoring exercise by the Chairman of Kosofe Local Government, Hon. Moyosore Ogunlewe, members of the Body of Permanent Secretaries, ministry directors, and students from Lagos State Education District II.
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