Lagos: Waste System Struggles As Government Defends Reforms

The Lagos State Government has acknowledged failures in waste collection and operational bottlenecks across the state while defending its broader waste management and flood control programme.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made the disclosure while responding to criticism of the state’s waste management and flood control measures.

Wahab said the government recognised that some residents were not receiving satisfactory waste collection services.

“We acknowledge collection failures, underperforming PSP operators and operational bottlenecks,” he said.

He, however, rejected the suggestion that the state’s waste policy was limited to clearing refuse after it accumulated.

Lagos generates between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily, according to the commissioner.

He said the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and private-sector participation operators evacuated approximately 418,500 tonnes of waste in May 2026, equivalent to about 13,200 tonnes daily.

Wahab said the figure should not be interpreted as evidence that every resident was receiving satisfactory service. He explained that delays at disposal facilities could affect truck turnaround times, disrupt collection schedules and leave refuse accumulated in neighbourhoods.

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The problem was particularly exposed at the Olusosun disposal facility, where rehabilitation of Road E and additional disposal platforms increased truck movements.

“Truck movements across disposal facilities rose to 1,866 in the week following the intervention, while Olusosun recorded an increase from 574 to 1,012 trips,” Wahab said.

The commissioner said the government was also pursuing a longer-term restructuring involving modern transfer loading stations, material recovery facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project.

“The objective is to transition from decades of pick-and-dump practices to a sustainable system where waste becomes a resource for energy and economic value,” he said.

The government is also introducing stronger monitoring of waste contractors through property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data. “The principle is straightforward: a modern waste management system must measure what it manages,” Wahab said.

He added that underperforming PSP operators could be sanctioned or terminated.

On flooding, Wahab said Lagos had invested in drainage infrastructure, pump stations, year-round maintenance and flood-abatement operations. He also cited wetland preservation, removal of structures on floodplains and restrictions on styrofoam and single-use plastics.

Wahab claimed the interventions had reduced flooding incidents by between 75 and 80 per cent across the state.

“Even the most resilient drainage infrastructure cannot entirely eliminate flash flooding in a coastal megacity,” he said.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the commissioner’s admission confirms that waste collection gaps remain part of Lagos’ environmental management challenge, while the government maintains that it is pursuing structural reforms rather than relying only on emergency refuse evacuation.