By Fatima Saka
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is expanding waste management infrastructure across the state as Lagos grapples with the disposal of between 13,000 and 16,000 metric tonnes of waste generated daily by more than 24 million residents.
The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this at the authority’s 2026 Mid-Year Media Parley in Lagos, stressing that the scale of waste generation required sustained investment in infrastructure, logistics, enforcement and public participation.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA was implementing operational interventions, infrastructure development, enforcement and public engagement as part of efforts to strengthen waste management and prepare Lagos for a future beyond dependence on conventional dumpsites.
He said recent heavy rainfall had affected access to parts of the Olusosun disposal facility, slowing truck movement and increasing turnaround time. According to him, the government responded with engineering interventions, including the rehabilitation of Road E, construction of new disposal platforms and improved truck circulation.
The LAWMA boss said the rehabilitation had transformed Road E from an operational bottleneck into an improved access route, creating additional disposal platforms and enhancing efficiency at the facility.
He also disclosed that two major Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) were being developed at the Olusosun and Solus III dumpsites in partnership with Zoomlion Nigeria Ltd.
According to him, each facility is designed to handle about 2,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, bringing their combined capacity to approximately 5,000 tonnes.
He said the TLS facilities would improve waste logistics by easing the movement of refuse from collection points to appropriate disposal and processing locations while reducing pressure on existing disposal facilities.
Beyond the transfer stations, Gbadegesin said Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) were being developed in Ikorodu and Badagry, while material recovery hubs were being established across the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos.
He said the investments were part of LAWMA’s broader transition towards a circular economy, where waste would increasingly be recovered, recycled and converted into useful resources rather than simply discarded.
The LAWMA chief said the authority was also intensifying enforcement against indiscriminate waste disposal through Project WISE, including arrests, prosecution and closure of markets found to be repeatedly violating environmental regulations.
He, however, stressed that infrastructure alone could not address Lagos’ waste management challenges without behavioural change among residents.
Gbadegesin said LAWMA was therefore expanding advocacy and public engagement programmes in schools, markets, estates and communities, with emphasis on waste sorting, recycling and responsible disposal.
He also identified partnerships with Zoomlion Nigeria Ltd., Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN), local councils and other private-sector stakeholders as critical to strengthening the state’s waste management system.
He said the authority’s medium- and long-term strategy was focused on preparing Lagos for “life after dumpsites” through a circular economy roadmap centred on recovery, recycling and the conversion of waste into useful resources.
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With Lagos generating up to 16,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, the development of TLS facilities, MRFs and recovery hubs represents a major component of LAWMA’s response to the growing waste challenge.
The authority said its ultimate objective was to reduce dependence on conventional dumpsites and establish a sustainable system in which waste is recovered, processed and reused, thereby reducing environmental pressure across Lagos.
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