The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is shifting the state away from its traditional reliance on dumpsites by expanding waste recovery, recycling, transfer stations and waste-to-energy projects.
LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this Saturday during an interview on TV Central, saying the reforms were necessary because Lagos generates between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of waste daily.
Gbadegesin said the new system would introduce Transfer Loading Stations and Material Recovery Facilities, where waste would be sorted and recyclable materials recovered before the remaining waste is taken for final disposal.
“It will reduce it by introducing facilities where waste could be transferred, sorted and recovered for reuse or conversion to other useful products,” he said.
He said the Transfer Loading Station at Olusosun was designed to handle about 2,500 tonnes of waste daily, while another facility was planned for Solous.
The LAWMA chief said organic waste could be turned into compost or used to generate energy, while plastics and metals would be recovered for recycling.
“The strategy represents a shift from the traditional ‘collect, transport and dump’ approach to a system in which waste is increasingly treated as a resource,” he said.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA was also exploring the conversion of organic waste into biogas, with feasibility work already carried out on projects that could generate energy from waste.
He said Lagos could no longer rely indefinitely on conventional landfills because of its huge waste output, limited land and aging disposal facilities.
The agency also plans to improve waste collection by increasing its compactor fleet and reducing the distance smaller collection vehicles travel to disposal sites.
Gbadegesin urged residents to properly store and dispose of their waste, warning that infrastructure alone would not solve Lagos’ waste problem.
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