The Lagos Government has embarked on an effort to accelerate waste evacuation to make the State a beauty to behold. This is coming against the background of heaps of wastes that have hitherto taken over major parts of the state, especially the capital.
The government, through its Waste Management Authority, known as LAWMA, assured residents that the temporary delays being experienced in waste evacuation across parts of the state capital would soon be over.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, on an assessment visit to some rehabilitation works, said that the State Government has concluded plans to acquire 3,000 compactor trucks of different sizes and capacities over the next three years to strengthen waste collection and evacuation across the State.
According to him, about 150 of the new compactors, including tricycle compactors designed for narrow streets and hard-to-reach communities, are expected to arrive before the end of the year as part of the first phase of the procurement programme.
Dr. Gbadegesin noted that Lagos required no fewer than 2,000 operational compactor trucks to effectively manage the volume of waste generated daily, adding that the new fleet would improve service delivery, strengthen the operations of Private Sector Participants (PSPs) and expand waste collection coverage across the State.
He said that the modern Transfer Loading Station model would be replicated across Lagos as part of the State Government’s long-term strategy to modernise waste management infrastructure, reduce haulage distances, improve operational efficiency, lower transportation costs and support the gradual transition from landfill-dependent waste disposal to a more sustainable waste management system, driven by resource recovery and the circular economy.
Dr. Gbadegesin said that the recent heavy rainfall has significantly affected access to the Olusosun disposal facility, thereby hampering the movement of compactor trucks into and out of the site and contributing to the temporary delays in waste evacuation experienced in some parts of Lagos.
He expressed confidence that the ongoing rehabilitation of Road E would restore seamless access to the facility and substantially improve waste evacuation across the State.
According to him, Olusosun currently receives approximately 10,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, making it one of the busiest waste disposal facilities in Africa and underscoring the importance of maintaining uninterrupted access to the site.
The LAWMA Managing Director explained that while the State Government remained committed to decommissioning the Olusosun disposal facility, the exercise would be implemented as a carefully managed process to avoid disrupting waste management services across the State.
He stressed that the facility could only be fully decommissioned after adequate alternative infrastructure had been put in place to accommodate the enormous volume of waste generated daily, noting that shutting it down without viable alternatives would create serious operational challenges.
Dr. Gbadegesin identified the construction of two modern Transfer Loading Stations (TLSs) by Zoomlion at Olusosun and Solous III as one of the major alternatives being developed to support the transition.
He explained that each of the new facilities would process 2,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, representing about twenty times the capacity of the existing Simpson Transfer Loading Station, and would significantly improve the efficiency of waste transportation across the State.
The LAWMA boss added that the Authority is also creating additional dumping platforms within the Olusosun disposal facility to improve traffic flow, minimise waiting time for compactor trucks and further enhance operational efficiency pending the completion of the new Transfer Loading Stations.
Dr. Gbadegesin reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to delivering efficient, reliable and sustainable waste management services, even as he commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his continued investment in modernising Lagos’ waste management system through strategic infrastructure development, fleet expansion and innovative partnerships.
