Lagos pushes circular economy in waste management overhaul
By Adeola Ogunrinde
The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming waste management from a “collect and dump” system into a sustainable circular economy. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, made this known during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
Wahab noted that Lagos generates over 13,000 metric tonnes of solid waste daily. He said the government has signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to boost waste-to-resource initiatives, enhance waste collection and recycling, and establish a smelting plant for electronic waste recycling.
He highlighted the agreement with the Dutch firm, Harvest Waste Consortium, to construct a high-efficiency 60-80MW Waste-to-Energy plant at the Epe landfill. The facility will process about 2,500 tonnes of municipal, commercial, and industrial solid waste daily into clean energy.
Another MOU, signed with Lafarge Africa/Geocycle, targets the treatment of non-recyclable combustible waste by converting it into industrial energy. Wahab said these partnerships would place Lagos at the forefront of waste recovery and energy generation.
“In the last year, our focus has been to evolve Lagos into a megacity with modern landfill management, cleaner waterways, structured sanitation, and sustainable waste processing,” he said.
He added that the state banned the sale and use of Styrofoam food packs, which were major contributors to urban flooding, and has begun enforcing a ban on Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) while promoting sustainable alternatives and extended producer responsibility.
Wahab also revealed that nearly 700 people were arrested for unsafe highway crossings, and over 6,700 were apprehended for failing to use pedestrian bridges. He said 192 Environmental Abatement Notices were issued, and 150 people were arrested for open defecation on pedestrian bridges.
To curb open defecation, the state is constructing 150 modern public toilets, with another 250 underway through public-private partnerships under the WASH initiative, aimed at improving access to proper sanitation across Lagos.
