The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has called on media organisations to exercise diligence and ensure proper context in reporting waste management issues, as it clarified the operational framework guiding waste collection and disposal across Lagos State.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, made the clarification in a statement by Mr. Mukaila Sanusi, Director of Public Affairs.
He was reacting to recent media reports highlighting waste evacuation challenges in some parts of the state.
According to him, routine household waste collection in Lagos is carried out by licensed Private Sector Participant (PSP) operators under strict regulatory supervision and performance monitoring by LAWMA.
Gbadegesin explained that contrary to some reports, the agency is not directly responsible for the day-to-day evacuation of municipal solid waste from households.
The MD noted that LAWMA’s role is to enforce service benchmarks, regulate operations, and intervene where performance gaps are identified. He encouraged residents to promptly report cases of poor service delivery for immediate attention.
He further clarified that the compactor trucks used for residential waste evacuation belong to PSP operators, explaining that the LAWMA inscription on the vehicles serves only for regulatory identification and does not imply ownership by the authority.
The LAWMA boss also assured residents that all designated landfill sites across Lagos State remain fully operational and professionally managed, with licensed operators having unrestricted access for proper and compliant waste disposal.
Dr. Gbadegesin stated that waste management in Lagos, a megacity of over 22 million people, should be viewed within the context of ongoing reforms in the sector. These reforms include the optimisation of Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) to improve operational efficiency and fleet turnaround time, as well as the expansion of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to support the state’s transition to a circular economy driven by recycling and resource recovery.
He called for stronger collaboration between government and residents to keep the city clean, noting that rapid urbanisation, population growth, and poor waste disposal habits continue to pose challenges to effective waste management.
Dr. Gbadegesin also warned against indiscriminate dumping of waste and the patronage of illegal cart pushers, stressing that such practices undermine structured waste management operations.
He reaffirmed that LAWMA’s ongoing reforms in infrastructure, enforcement, and logistics modernisation are aimed at delivering a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable Lagos.
Reporting By Innocent Onoh