- LAWMA Moves Against Illegal Waste Disposal in Apapa, Clears Black Spots
- Threatens Sanctions for Offenders
- Says Lagos Cannot Keep Funding Repeated Cleanup of Illegal Dumps
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has stepped up efforts to restore environmental sanity in the Apapa axis, carrying out an extensive clean-up exercise at several refuse black spots as part of ongoing measures to improve waste evacuation and environmental sustainability across the state.
The exercise covered areas including Marine Beach, Warehouse Road, Randle Road and Mobile Road, where heaps of illegally dumped waste had become a recurring challenge.
Speaking during the operation, LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to eliminating indiscriminate waste disposal and warned that offenders would face sanctions in line with existing environmental laws.
According to him, many of the black spots persist because some residents and businesses deliberately avoid approved waste collection channels in an attempt to evade payment for waste management services.
“Many of the people generating waste in these locations are not captured within the formal PSP system. As a result, despite repeated evacuation exercises by LAWMA and PSP operators, the waste keeps reappearing. We cannot continue to expend public resources clearing the same locations while some individuals persist in illegal waste disposal practices,” he said.
Gbadegesin lamented that significant public resources were being deployed to clear illegal dumpsites, only for some of the locations to be re-contaminated shortly after evacuation.
He stressed that maintaining a cleaner Lagos required active participation from residents, businesses, market operators and institutions through responsible waste disposal practices.
The LAWMA boss disclosed that the agency was expanding waste collection options through the deployment of tricycle compactors and other innovative systems aimed at improving service delivery in areas inaccessible to conventional compactor trucks.
He added that plans were underway to integrate willing cart pushers into a structured and regulated waste collection framework to address indiscriminate dumping and improve waste evacuation in underserved communities.
Gbadegesin also encouraged residents to embrace waste sorting at source by separating recyclable materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard, glass and aluminium from general household waste.
“A significant proportion of the materials currently disposed of as waste still retain economic value and can be recovered through recycling and resource recovery initiatives. By embracing waste sorting at source, residents can support environmental sustainability while contributing to the circular economy,” he said.
He maintained that a clean environment remained essential for public health, environmental sustainability and economic development, urging Lagos residents to patronise approved Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, comply with environmental regulations and report waste management infractions through established LAWMA channels.
Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Idowu Adejumoke Senbanjo, commended LAWMA for the intervention and pledged the council’s continued collaboration in promoting environmental cleanliness and sustainable waste management within the area.
