The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has begun a comprehensive overhaul of Lagos’ waste management system, including a major restructuring of its Private Sector Participation (PSP) scheme to improve collection, accountability and waste recovery.

LAWMA Managing Director, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the reforms would move the agency beyond waste evacuation to an integrated system built around performance-based PSP operations, technology, data monitoring, customer service, transfer stations, recycling, resource recovery and stronger regulation.

To drive the reforms, LAWMA has established six working groups covering operations and fleet management; finance, tariffs and commercial sustainability; technology, data and performance management; policy, licensing and regulation; customer service, advocacy and enforcement; and circular economy and resource recovery.

The groups are reviewing collection routes, truck deployment, service coverage, tariffs, payment compliance, operator performance, regulation, resident complaints, recycling and waste recovery.

Gbadegesin said the approach would transform waste collection from an isolated evacuation activity into an integrated system involving operations, finance, technology, regulation, customer service, enforcement and resource recovery. PSP operators are also participating in the process to ensure the reforms reflect operational realities while maintaining clear performance standards.

Lagos currently generates between 13,000 and 16,000 tonnes of waste daily. LAWMA’s operational data recorded an average of about 13,200 tonnes evacuated daily across LAWMA and PSP operational corridors, with approximately 418,500 tonnes evacuated within a month.

Gbadegesin cautioned against treating the figures as a fixed daily collection rate, noting that waste generation and evacuation fluctuate and that collection, evacuation and final disposal are different stages.

He said LAWMA’s priority was to increase effective collection capacity, close service gaps and ensure waste reaches appropriate collection and disposal channels promptly.

To address irregular collection, particularly in densely populated and low-income communities, LAWMA is reviewing underperforming routes and, where necessary, restructuring or reallocating them. Additional capacity is also being introduced where population growth and waste generation have outpaced existing operators.

The authority is deploying LAWMA trucks and smaller compactor tricycles to difficult-to-reach areas and strengthening its inner-street collection model to prevent waste from returning after clearance operations.

Complaint handling is also being improved. In the second-quarter assessment, 1,726 of 1,961 recorded complaints had been resolved, with an average response time of 24 hours.

LAWMA is also moving to a more performance-based PSP system, assessing routes, service coverage, fleet capacity, payment compliance, customer service and operational performance.

Operators that consistently fail to meet required standards may have their routes withdrawn, restructured or reallocated, while additional operators can be introduced where capacity is inadequate.

As part of the current review, 27 routes were identified for restructuring or reallocation, while the second-quarter operational assessment recorded 442 active PSP operators.

Gbadegesin said the goal was not to maintain a particular number of operators but to ensure they had the capacity, equipment, financial sustainability and commitment required to provide reliable services.

To reduce pressure on landfills, LAWMA is developing Transfer Loading Stations (TLS), allowing collection trucks to discharge waste closer to collection areas before returning to service, while larger vehicles transport consolidated waste to recovery or disposal facilities.

TLS facilities are being developed at Olusosun and Solous III, with the wider system linked to Material Recovery Facilities and other recovery infrastructure. Operational planning targets diversion of up to 4,000 tonnes of waste per day through the TLS system once the facilities are commissioned.

LAWMA is also improving existing disposal sites and expanding platforms and access infrastructure.

Gbadegesin said the long-term strategy was to recover valuable materials, recycle what can be recycled, treat organic waste and develop appropriate waste-to-energy pathways, leaving only residual waste for final disposal.

LAWMA has registered and licensed more than 500 recycling vendors and recyclers, engaged communities on source separation and recycling, collected thousands of kilogrammes of recyclables through the Waste-to-Wealth programme and worked with schools on recycling and environmental protection.

The authority has also commissioned the Ikosi biogas facility and is advancing broader organic-waste and resource-recovery initiatives. Material Recovery Facilities are being developed, while legal and Public-Private Partnership frameworks are being prepared for larger-scale waste-to-energy projects.

LAWMA said the progressive diversion system would reduce the volume of waste requiring final disposal as TLS, MRF, recycling, organic-waste and waste-to-energy infrastructure comes on stream.

However, the agency continues to face challenges including rapid population growth, rising waste generation, PSP service gaps, equipment needs, traffic, access to disposal facilities, landfill pressure and public compliance.

Illegal dumping and unauthorised waste collectors also undermine the organised collection system. Pressure at disposal facilities can increase truck waiting times, delay collections and contribute to unauthorised disposal by some residents.

LAWMA is therefore addressing collection, fleet management, disposal infrastructure, transfer stations, recovery, PSP performance, enforcement and public behaviour together.

Modernising Lagos’ waste system will require substantial and sustained investment in collection vehicles, transfer stations, disposal infrastructure, Material Recovery Facilities, recycling and waste-to-energy systems.

Gbadegesin said government could not carry the entire burden. LAWMA is pursuing a combination of Lagos State Government funding, private-sector investment, Public-Private Partnerships, development partnerships and commercially viable circular-economy projects.

He said PSP reform was also critical because operators must be financially viable enough to invest in their fleets and operations.

On public behaviour, LAWMA said enforcement must be combined with education, community engagement, source-separation advocacy, recycling and school programmes, as well as engagement with markets, businesses and community organisations.

The authority is also reminding residents to properly package waste, patronise accredited PSP operators, pay for collection services, avoid dumping waste in drains, waterways, roads and medians, and report service failures through the appropriate channels.

Gbadegesin said improved service delivery must accompany behaviour change, noting that residents cannot be expected to comply while genuine service gaps persist.

Over the next one to three years, LAWMA will assess the reforms based on collection regularity, service gaps, complaint resolution, PSP performance, truck turnaround time, material recovery and the amount of waste sent directly to landfills.

Other measures include the number of routes restructured, PSP operator performance, the development and use of TLS and MRF facilities, growth in recycling and resource recovery, and reductions in recurring waste blackspots.

The authority said success would also be measured by how many cleared blackspots remain clean, rather than simply by the number of dumps removed.

The goal is to replace the cycle of “dump, clear, redump, clear” with “collect, control, comply, monitor and sustain.”

Ultimately, Lagos residents are expected to judge the reforms through more reliable collection, cleaner communities, faster complaint responses, better-performing PSP operators, improved infrastructure and a gradual reduction in waste requiring final disposal.

“Our circular-economy programme has already taken source-separation education into communities and schools, while the Waste-to-Wealth programme is demonstrating that materials commonly regarded as waste can have economic value

Source: Guardian