Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced a "small state of emergency" to address the growing waste issue in the state. He ordered more trucks to be deployed and additional disposal sites to open. This is aimed at easing the pressure on the current waste management system.
The governor shared these plans on Wednesday during a visit to the Olusosun landfill. He noted that there are long queues of waste trucks and delays in getting rid of refuse. This has turned into a big challenge for the state’s waste collection.
"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 pointed out that the main issue is the limited number of trucks able to drop off waste at Olusosun each day. This causes collection vehicles to wait for hours, which cuts down on the number of trips they can make to pick up waste from homes.
Currently, the state handles between 250 and 350 trucks a day at the landfill. The governor plans to raise this number to between 350 and 450 trucks.
He also mentioned that the number of tipping points at Olusosun would increase from two or three to four or five. This will help speed up the waste discharge process.
"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 explained.
As part of the emergency measures, the governor revealed that the state government has ordered 160 new compactor trucks to boost waste collection across Lagos. He said the shipment of these trucks is expected to start soon.
Zoomlion, one of the companies working with the state on waste management, will also buy more compactor trucks. The government will get landfill compactors to improve operations at the disposal sites.
The state is also planning to reopen more waste disposal sites to lessen the burden on Olusosun. These sites include Solu 3 in Alimosho, Iwulepe in Ikorodu, Oke Osho in Epe, and Erikitte in Badagry.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said work would begin on the access road to Solu 3, including stabilisation and grading. This is expected to be finished in two to three weeks. Similar work will happen at Iwulepe and Oke Osho.
The governor expects four active disposal sites to be operational within six weeks, along with the Badagry facility. This is not the first attempt to relieve congestion at Olusosun.
In May 2024, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) announced it had completed work at the landfill to help the movement of disposal trucks and cut down on waiting times. The agency said the goal was to improve how things work and to reduce long queues.
The problem also highlights the pressure on Lagos’ Private Sector Participation (PSP) scheme. This scheme is when private companies manage much of the state’s waste collection and transportation.
LAWMA noted that the participation of private companies in waste collection started in 1997. The scheme was later given to the agency for better management and monitoring.
The agency found several problems affecting the system. These include unreliable service, issues in collecting waste service fees, not having enough waste compactors, and bad road conditions.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the government will review the PSP system to see which operators can still provide good services. He said the operators agreed to find those with the skills, money, and equipment needed to keep working in Lagos.
The government will also do its own 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 added that the operators have also agreed to buy more compactor trucks. He mentioned that the state government would look for financial solutions to help the operators and stop them from facing money problems.
Mr Sanwo-Olu also urged residents to pay for waste collection services, saying the system cannot survive without regular payments. He criticized the habit of wanting regular waste collection while not paying for it. He said operators need money to keep their machines running.
Beyond this immediate response, the state government is working on a bigger waste infrastructure plan with Zoomlion. Mr Sanwo-Olu said a 2,400-metric-tonne transfer loading station is being built at Olusosun. Another facility of the same size is planned for Solu 3.
These facilities will receive compacted waste before it is taken to other places for sorting and processing. Two material recovery facilities are also being built at Oke Osho in Epe and Erikitte in Badagry.
The governor explained that these projects involve investments worth millions of dollars. They aim to improve waste collection, disposal, and processing in the long run. He said work on these projects should be visible by the end of the year, and the facilities are expected to start operating between late March and early April 2027.
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