Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared what he called a “small state of emergency” over the worsening waste situation in the state, ordering the deployment of more trucks and the reopening of additional disposal sites to ease the pressure on the system.
The governor announced the measures on Wednesday during an inspection of the Olusosun landfill, where long queues of waste trucks and delays in disposing of refuse have become a major challenge to the state’s waste collection operation.
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“We’re here for ourselves to see what is the problem, what is happening, and for us to clearly be able to declare what we will call a small state of emergency, just so that we can get out of this very unpleasant situation,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.
He stated that the immediate problem was the limited number of trucks that could discharge waste at Olusosun each day, leaving collection vehicles stuck at the landfill for hours and reducing the number of trips they could make to residential areas.
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The governor explained that the state currently handles about 250 to 350 trucks a day at the landfill. He added that the government plans to increase that figure to between 350 and 450.
He noted that the number of tipping points at Olusosun would be increased from the current two or three to four or five to speed up the discharge of waste.
“This will enhance and improve the turnaround of the trucks on the various roads so that they don’t need to come to the dump site and spend one day, spend 12 hours for them to be able to pick,” he stated.
160 new trucks ordered
As part of the emergency response, the governor said the state government had ordered 160 new compactor trucks to strengthen waste collection across Lagos.
He revealed shipment of the trucks was expected to begin soon.
Zoomlion, one of the companies involved in the state’s waste management arrangement, would also procure additional compactor trucks, while the government would acquire landfill compactors to improve operations at disposal sites.
Four disposal sites to reopen
The government is also moving to reactivate additional waste disposal sites across the state to reduce the pressure on Olusosun.
The sites include Solu 3 in Alimosho, Iwulepe in Ikorodu, Oke Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.
Mr Sanwo-Olu noted that work would begin on the access road to Solu 3 with stabilisation and grading, with completion expected within two to three weeks.
Similar work would be carried out at Iwulepe and Oke Osho.
The governor said the government expected four active disposal sites to be operational within about six weeks, alongside the Badagry facility.
A recurring problem
The latest intervention is not the first attempt to ease congestion at Olusosun.
In May 2024, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) stated that it had completed rehabilitation work at the landfill to improve the movement of disposal trucks and reduce waiting times.
The agency stressed that at the time that the work was aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing queues.
The crisis also highlights the pressure on Lagos’ Private Sector Participation (PSP) scheme, through which private operators handle much of the state’s domestic waste collection and transportation.
LAWMA stated that the private-sector participation in waste collection and transportation dates back to 1997, with the scheme later transferred to the agency for restructuring and monitoring.
The agency has identified several challenges affecting the system, including unreliable service delivery, difficulty in collecting waste service charges, an inadequate number of waste compactors and poor road infrastructure.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the government would review the PSP system to determine which operators still had the capacity to provide effective services.
He noted that the operators had agreed to identify those with the technical knowledge, financial strength and equipment required to continue operating in Lagos.
The government, he added, would conduct its own independent assessment.
“We just don’t want to have 800 PSPs when it is actually only 400 that is effective, or have a number that we’re just carrying the number, and 20 or 30 or 40 of that are not effective,” he said.
The governor stressed that the operators had also committed to purchasing more compactor trucks.
He noted that the state government would explore financing arrangements to ease the financial burden on the operators and prevent them from becoming financially distressed.
Government asks residents to pay
Mr Sanwo-Olu also appealed to residents and property owners to pay for waste collection services, saying the system could not be sustained without regular payments.
The governor criticised the practice of demanding regular waste collection while refusing to pay for the service, arguing that operators needed revenue to maintain their equipment and continue operating.
READ ALSO: Sanwo-Olu, Lai Mohammed, Gbenga Daniel to discuss 2027 elections, insecurity at 7th Freedom Online lecture
Long-term plan
Beyond the immediate response, the state government is pursuing a broader waste infrastructure programme in partnership with Zoomlion.
Mr Sanwo-Olu noted that a 2,400-metric-tonne transfer loading station was being developed at Olusosun, with another facility of the same capacity planned for Solu 3.
The facilities will receive compacted waste before it is transported to material recovery facilities for sorting and further processing, he said.
Two material recovery facilities are also being developed at Oke Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.
The governor explained that the projects involved investments worth tens of millions of dollars and were intended to address waste collection, disposal and processing over the longer term.
He said physical development on the projects should become visible by the end of the year, while the facilities are expected to become operational between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter of 2027.
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