Sanwo-Olu orders 160 compactors as Lagos tackles waste collection delays

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says his administration has ordered 160 new compactors as part of measures to address recent delays in waste collection across the state.

Mr Sanwo-Olu disclosed this after inspecting waste management operations at the Olusosun dumpsite, Lagos, where he acknowledged concerns over the accumulation of refuse in parts of the state.

The governor said the government was taking immediate steps to improve waste evacuation and reduce delays experienced by residents.

“I know the collection delays across Lagos over the past few weeks have been frustrating and seeing waste piled up is unacceptable. We are taking direct action to fix this.”

He said access roads at the state’s five major dumpsites were being levelled and expanded to allow waste trucks to discharge and turn around without unnecessary delays.

“We are leveling and expanding access roads at our five major dumpsites so trucks can dump and turn around without delay.”

Mr Sanwo-Olu also said development partners were providing additional heavy-duty equipment to complement the state’s waste management fleet.

“We have ordered 160 new compactors to strengthen our fleet and our development partners are bringing in extra heavy-duty equipment.”

Lagos relies on the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to regulate waste management operations, while Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators are responsible for waste collection across various parts of the state.

The governor said the state was restructuring LAWMA to strengthen oversight and improve the performance of PSP operators.

“We are restructuring LAWMA to ensure stricter oversight on the ground and we are working with the PSP operators to clean up their operations and ensure only capable and committed teams are on our roads.”

Lagos generates thousands of tonnes of waste daily, placing significant pressure on its collection, transportation and disposal infrastructure.

New waste infrastructure

Beyond the immediate response to the collection delays, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the state was investing in infrastructure to modernise waste management and increase recycling.

“Looking slightly ahead, we are constructing two major Transfer Loading Stations at Olusosun and Solous 3, alongside Material Recovery Facilities in Epe and Badagry to modernize how we sort and recycle waste long-term.”

Transfer Loading Stations are designed to improve the movement of waste by allowing refuse collected from different locations to be consolidated before being transported to disposal or processing facilities.

The Material Recovery Facilities, meanwhile, are expected to support the sorting and recovery of recyclable materials, potentially reducing the volume of waste sent to dumpsites.

The governor said the government was addressing the waste management system from the collection stage through to disposal and recycling.

“We are fixing the system from the ground up but keeping Lagos clean requires effort from all of us.”

He also warned residents against indiscriminate waste disposal, saying environmental enforcement officers would arrest and prosecute offenders.

“Indiscriminate dumping on our streets will not be tolerated and environmental enforcement officers will arrest and prosecute offenders.”

Mr Sanwo-Olu assured residents that the government was working to resolve the current challenges.

“We are on it and you will see the difference soon.”