The Lagos State Government has unveiled plans to radically improve the waste management system and generate energy through it, to reduce the power supply deficit in the state. It stated that proper dumpsite management will mitigate environmental hazards and allow the government to generate power from disposed waste across Lagos.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this yesterday at a Waste to Energy Summit organised by Rack Centre in partnership with the NYSC Community Development Service (CDS) with the themed, “Driving Environmental Sustainability”.
Wahab, who was represented by the Managing Chief Executive Officer, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin,Â
“When Olusosun was established, it was actually on the outskirts, but development caught up with it. There’s a lot of pressure on solid waste management, which is why we are working on reducing the amount of waste dumped on the Olusosun landfill through recycling initiatives,” he explained.
He further outlined LAWMA’s strategic plans to transform waste management in the state, by focusing more on recycling, and introducing various initiatives such as the development of compost and biogas plants, to reduce the volume of waste going to landfills.
“We are working on developing composting and biogas plants on the site. The future state is that we are going to decommission the Olusosun landfill; we are already in the process. Decommissioning the dumpsite is necessary to address long-term environmental and health impacts.
In doing this, we are going to comply with international best practices”, he stressed.
The commissioner also announced plans to establish waste-to-energy plants across the state, “Waste-to-energy plants will be established at the Epe dumpsite. The plan is to have three waste-to-energy plants in the state at Badagry, Epe, and Olusosun. We are exploring other alternatives to be used as landfills since we are working on shutting down the Olusosun landfill.”
Dolapo Olaoluwa, the convener of the summit and a serving corps member, said he envisioned a gathering of key stakeholders to discuss solutions to the challenges posed by the Olusosun dumpsite and other waste management issues, as a way of contributing meaningfully to the community where he was serving.
The Head Sustainability Coordination, Rack Centre, Adetayo Odusole, expressed their enthusiasm for sponsoring the event, noting that Rack Centre was pleased to support the initiative as it aligned with their goals of achieving a sustainable environment in the state, emphasising that achieving this required a collective effort.
Other speakers at the summit included: Ezekiel Egboye, Founding Executive and Chief Operating Officer, Rack Centre; Jide Onakoya, Chief Operating Officer, Elektron; Professor Emmanuel Ogolo, Professor of Atmospheric Physics (represented); Dr. Victor Onifade, senior lecturer of Urban and Regional Planning; Olaide Ayodele-Taiwo; Assistant Chief Scientific Officer at the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA); and Yetunde Baderinwa, NYSC State Coordinator, Lagos State.
