- Lagos Moves To Replace Dump Sites With Recovery Facilities, Targets 5,000 Jobs
- Gaji said Lagos generates more than 13,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily
- Urged traditional rulers, Baales, youth leaders and community associations to support the sensitisation of residents and encourage cooperation with the government and project developers
The Lagos State Government has commenced consultations with landowners, traditional rulers and community leaders in Ikorodu and Badagry over plans to establish Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in Agbowa and Erekiti.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the government said the proposed facilities are designed to transform waste management in the state while creating employment and business opportunities for residents of the host communities.
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Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Alausa, Lagos, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Mobolaji Gaji, said the projects were part of the state’s transition from conventional waste disposal to a circular economy where waste is treated as a resource.
Gaji said Lagos generates more than 13,000 tonnes of municipal waste daily, making the recovery and recycling of materials critical to reducing pressure on landfills and improving environmental sustainability.
He explained that the facilities would receive, sort and recover recyclable materials, including plastics, metals, paper and organic waste, for reuse and further processing.
“This is not just about constructing infrastructure. It is about building a sustainable waste-management value chain that will create jobs, generate wealth and reduce our dependence on landfills,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary assured residents that the proposed facilities would not operate as conventional dump sites, saying they would be enclosed and environmentally controlled facilities built in line with approved standards.
“There is no need for apprehension. These facilities are not dump sites,” he said, adding that the government would establish stakeholder representation and a grievance-redress mechanism to address concerns from host communities.
Gaji said communities hosting the facilities would benefit from employment, skills acquisition, improved sanitation, access roads and other infrastructure.
He urged traditional rulers, Baales, youth leaders and community associations to support the sensitisation of residents and encourage cooperation with the government and project developers.
The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the facilities in Agbowa and Erekiti were expected to create about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.
According to him, youths and women would have opportunities in plant operations, maintenance, environmental monitoring, security, cleaning and materials handling, while businesses could benefit from recycling, compost production, logistics and equipment servicing.
Gbadegesin said environmental and social safeguards would also be put in place, including controlled access, buffer zones, storm-water separation, leachate management, fire protection and safe traffic circulation.
He stressed that open burning, uncontrolled dumping and unsafe waste picking would not be allowed at the facilities.
An engineer representing Zoomlion Nigeria Limited, Francis Akoto, said each location would comprise a Material Recovery Facility and a Transfer Loading Station with a processing capacity of about 2,400 tonnes of waste daily.
Akoto said organic waste would be processed into compost, while plastics and metals would be recovered for recycling.
He added that the facilities would be enclosed and fitted with odour-control systems, saying the projects could help reduce roadside truck queues, unpleasant odours, rodents and mosquitoes, as well as the dumping of waste in drainage channels.
Akoto further disclosed that waste pickers would be integrated into the formal waste management system through training, provision of protective equipment and paid employment.
The Managing Director of Zoomlion Nigeria, Habiba Abubakar, said selected representatives from Ikorodu and Badagry would be taken on visits to existing facilities to enable them to see the company’s operations firsthand.
“We don’t just talk, we do,” she said.
Gaji urged landowners and host communities to support the proposed projects, noting that their success would depend on cooperation among the government, developers and residents.
The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, community leaders, landowners, local government officials and representatives of relevant ministries and agencies.
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