Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared what he described as a “small state of emergency” on waste management as the state intensifies efforts to tackle growing challenges in refuse collection and disposal.
Newsonspot reports that Sanwo-Olu made the declaration on Wednesday during an inspection of the Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, Lagos, alongside his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, and the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.
The governor said the inspection was aimed at identifying the immediate problems affecting waste management operations and developing short-, medium- and long-term solutions.
He acknowledged that Lagos had experienced increasing pressure on waste collection in recent weeks, leading to indiscriminate dumping of refuse across different parts of the metropolis.
Sanwo-Olu said the state government had introduced monthly environmental sanitation and intensified public awareness on proper waste disposal, but admitted that the measures had not been sufficiently coordinated.
As part of the immediate response, the governor said the capacity of the Olusosun dumpsite would be increased from its current 250–350 trucks daily to between 350 and 450 trucks.
He explained that the number of tipping points at the facility would be increased from the current two or three to about four or five to improve the turnaround time for waste trucks.
Similar interventions, he said, would be carried out at Solu 3, Iwulepe in Ikorodu and Oke-Osho in Epe, while Erikitte in Badagry would also be developed to expand waste reception capacity.
The governor expressed hope that within six weeks, Lagos would have four active dump sites at Olusosun, Solu 3, Iwulepe and Oke-Osho, with Erikitte expected to serve as a fifth facility.
According to him, the expansion would reduce the time trucks spend waiting to discharge waste and improve the efficiency of waste collection across the state.
The state government is also procuring 160 new compactor trucks to strengthen waste collection from homes and roads to disposal facilities. Additional trucks are expected to be procured by Zoomlion, while landfill compactors will also be acquired for improved operations at disposal sites.
For the medium- and long-term response, Sanwo-Olu said the government was working on two 2,400-metric-tonne transfer loading stations at Olusosun and Solu 3 in Alimosho.
The facilities are expected to receive compacted waste before it is transferred to material recovery facilities being developed at Oke-Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.
Sanwo-Olu said the two transfer stations would be capable of receiving about 500 trucks daily, while the material recovery facilities would help sort waste and convert it into useful materials.
He said the projects, which represent significant investments in waste management, are expected to begin taking shape before the end of the year, with completion projected between the second quarter of next year and the first quarter.
On the activities of Private Sector Participants (PSPs), the governor said the association had agreed to review its membership and identify operators with the capacity and technical expertise to remain in the waste management system.
He said the state government was also conducting an independent review to ensure that only efficient operators remained in the sector.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos could not continue to have a large number of PSP operators when only a fraction were effectively providing services, adding that the review would create room for more capable investors.
He also said the government was prepared to work with PSP operators on financing arrangements that would reduce investment risks and prevent them from becoming financially distressed.
The governor, however, urged Lagos residents to pay for waste management services, stressing that it was unfair for service providers to render services without receiving payment.
He assured residents that the state government, working with PSP operators, would improve waste collection and disposal services across Lagos, while urging households with waste bins to fulfil their financial obligations.
The renewed intervention, according to the state government, is aimed at addressing immediate waste collection challenges while laying the foundation for a more efficient system of waste disposal, recycling and conversion across Lagos.
