The Lagos State Government has revealed plans to acquire 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), trucks for the operations of Private Sector Participants (PSP), to improve waste management across the state.
It said the move aims to enhance sanitation and environmental protection in the state.
The Managing Director, Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this during a one-day stakeholders’ interactive forum on sustainable waste management, organized by the agency, at the Civic Center, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Gbadegesin who highlighted the progress recorded by his agency and future plans for waste management in the state noted that 23 million of the state’s residents generate 5.46 million tonnes of waste annually, which LAWMA aims to manage through various initiatives, targeted on effective collection, treatment, and waste disposal.
“We are committed to providing efficient waste management services to all Lagosians. With our team of dedicated staff, we manage domestic, commercial, and medical waste across the state. We also sweep 963 routes and collect solid waste from the lagoons and waterways”.
In line with LAWMA’s mission, Gbadegesin stated the agency is managing waste transportation and treatment through partnerships with 420 PSP trucks.
Additionally, he said 16,361 street sweepers were employed to support this effort across major streets across the state.
While emphasizing the importance of recycling to the environment, Gbadegesin noted that LAWMA had introduced a two-bin system for households, where one bin stood for general waste and the other for recyclables.
“This system will help households segregate waste at the source, boosting recycling efforts and reducing the volume of waste that ends up in landfills. We have already established community recycling centers and are partnering with retail points to promote extended producer responsibility,” he stressed.
The LAWMA director also mentioned the state’s effort in managing waste beyond the streets of Lagos, this includes waste-to-energy projects, reviving the pilot biogas production plant at Ketu Fruit Market, and tackling marine waste and hazardous materials in the state waterways.
” Our work extends beyond the streets. We are involved in marine waste collection and the safe disposal of hazardous materials, We are determined to build a cleaner, greener Lagos for future generations, he concluded.
Earlier speaking, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Environment, Mr. Rotimi Akodu, called for a synergy between players in the public and private sectors to achieve a cleaner and sustainable environment in the state, adding that the state government had embarked on various initiatives, aimed at improving the environment.
During the welcome address, the Executive Director of LAWMA, Mr. Kunle Adebiyi, who disclosed that the stakeholders’ forum helped identify practical solutions to meet residents’ waste management needs explained that managing the huge amount of waste generated daily led to the “Adopt-a-bin” initiative.
According to him, the program aims to promote waste containerization and make waste collection easier.
“The task of managing the huge volume of waste remains challenging, hence the need for a forum like this, where we can jointly examine all workable options available to us, and fine-tune strategies to ensure that we remain on top of the situation,” he stated.
Additionally, the President, of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAWN), Olugbenga Adebola, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his commitment to transforming the environment and waste management system in the state.
He further urged corporate organizations to adopt the ‘Adopt-a-bin’ initiative as a key part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, enabling every household in the state to access these essential bins.
