Lagos State generates an average of 13,000 tonnes of waste daily, the state waste management agency has said.
Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Managing Director of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), gave the figure in an interview in Lagos.
Gbadegesin said that the authority had been effectively evacuating the large volume of waste in partnership with Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
According to him, LAWMA and the PSP operators daily deploy 102 compactor trucks for waste evacuation.
Gbadegesin said that LAWMA’s marine waste evacuation team had also continued to evacuate waste from coastlines, lagoons and drainage channels.
He added that LAWMA had continued to expand its advanced medical waste management to accommodate operations of hairdressers and beauticians who generated human tissue waste.
He emphasised that every Lagos resident had a role to play in maintaining a cleaner and healthier environment.
“From disposing waste properly through accredited PSP operators and cleaning of gutters in front of our houses, to sorting waste at source, we all have roles to play,” Gbadegesin said.
He highlighted LAWMA’s ongoing innovations in waste management, including expansion of the waste-to-wealth initiatives aimed reducing dependence on landfills.
“Now, we have a glass recycling plant in Lagos, and people are beginning to see the economic potential in materials such as PET bottles,” Gbadegesin said.
By Fabian Ekeruche