The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has intensified efforts to tackle recurrent waste blackspots across the state through a combination of waste evacuation, improved collection services, enforcement, infrastructure upgrades and community engagement.
The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this on Monday, saying the authority was moving beyond repeated evacuation of waste to addressing the operational and behavioural factors responsible for the recurrence of illegal dumpsites.
Gbadegesin said the new approach combines the clearance of accumulated waste with measures to ensure that waste generated in surrounding communities is properly collected and evacuated.
According to him, enforcement is also being strengthened against indiscriminate dumping, illegal waste collection and other practices capable of undermining the formal waste management system.
“Our approach is changing from simply clearing waste backlogs to addressing what causes them to return. Where there are service gaps, we are working with stakeholders to improve collection; where there is indiscriminate dumping, we are enforcing compliance; and where locations have been cleared, we are putting measures in place to prevent redumping,” he said.
He said the strategy was already being implemented in areas including Ayobo-Ipaja, where sustained waste evacuation is being combined with enforcement against illegal waste collectors, markets and commercial facilities that default in proper waste disposal.
Gbadegesin added that in Mushin and Odi-Olowo, following the clearance of waste accumulated along major road medians, LAWMA was deploying collection trucks into inner streets to improve access to waste collection services.
He explained that the initiative was aimed at discouraging residents from moving waste back to previously cleared road medians.
The LAWMA boss also highlighted the recent upgrade of critical infrastructure at the Olusosun Disposal Facility, saying improved access and truck turnaround had contributed to increased operational capacity.
He disclosed that LAWMA was also strengthening its collaboration with Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators through a reform process focused on route management, service delivery, fleet capacity, technology-driven monitoring, accountability and the long-term sustainability of the waste management sector.
According to him, enforcement against illegal waste operators, unauthorised markets and other activities contributing to indiscriminate dumping would be intensified, while communities and other stakeholders would be engaged to ensure that cleared locations remain clean.
Gbadegesin stressed that behavioural change remained essential to achieving sustainable waste management in Lagos.
“A clean city cannot be sustained by government action alone. We need residents, businesses, markets, PSP operators and communities to take responsibility for how waste is generated, handled and disposed of. Clearing a location only for it to become a dumping point again is not sustainable,” he said.
He said the Lagos State Government’s broader objective was to achieve sustainable waste management through a circular economy, noting ongoing initiatives such as the development of transfer loading stations and material recovery facilities, as well as the promotion of waste-to-wealth and waste-to-energy programmes.
Gbadegesin reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to a coordinated and data-driven response to recurrent waste hotspots, combining operational interventions, enforcement, stakeholder engagement and infrastructure development.
He urged residents to patronise approved waste collection services, report service gaps and shun indiscriminate dumping, stressing that keeping Lagos clean remained a shared responsibility.
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