Residents across several parts of Lagos have paid monthly waste-service charges as garbage sat uncollected for weeks or months, piling up in streets, markets and drainage channels. The state generates between 13,000 and 15,000 tonnes of municipal waste each day, according to Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab.
Who Pays for Missed Collections
The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) handles policy and supervision, while accredited Private Sector Participants (PSPs) collect household and commercial waste in assigned districts and local government areas. Operators are expected to collect residential refuse at least once a week. Residents and property owners pay monthly service charges.
Reports of garbage have come from Mushin, Ebute Metta, Agege, Egbeda, Idimu, Ojuelegba, Mile 2, Orile, Apapa, Okokomaiko, Ajah, parts of Lekki, Lawanson, Ikeja, Bariga, Surulere, Agegunle, Boundary, Ojo, Ikorodu, Festac Town, Satellite Town, Ikotun, Oshodi, Iyana-Iba, Alaba, Isolo and Abule Egba.
In some areas, waste spills onto roads and clogs drainage channels, obstructing motorists, pedestrians and businesses. The refuse stinks as it decomposes and can expose residents to health risks. Rats, flies, cockroaches and mosquitoes can breed in accumulated waste, contributing to malaria, cholera and typhoid. Sharp objects and contaminated materials can cause injuries and infections.
Rain can wash waste into rivers, wells and other water sources. Chemicals from refuse can also contaminate soil. Open burning releases smoke and other pollutants, which can aggravate respiratory conditions and create further health risks.
Contractors, Costs and Oversight
PSP operators point to rising diesel costs, vehicle maintenance and long trips to disposal sites. State authorities have acknowledged operational bottlenecks, underperforming operators and shortages of trucks. Many operators' waste-evacuation trucks are in poor condition and break down often, slowing their work.
Wahab and LAWMA are failing to properly monitor PSP operators, while residents say collections are missed even though they pay service charges. The government has tried to clear refuse black spots and brought back monthly sanitation exercises, but conditions appeared unchanged.
The current crisis has revived memories of the 2015–2019 waste crisis, when major roads, markets and drainage channels became dumping grounds amid infrastructure and operational bottlenecks. In 2017, then Governor Akinwunmi Ambode's administration brought in Visionscape to modernise waste collection and evacuation across the state. Visionscape struggled to meet expectations, refuse remained piled up, and LAWMA personnel were unhappy after their role was significantly reduced.
Emergency Cleanup and Longer Plans
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ordered an immediate scale-up of waste evacuation. He said LAWMA, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and the Ministry of Environment were working around the clock.
"We have deployed extra trucks and personnel to clear the backlogs across all affected neighbourhoods. You should already see progress on the streets, and we will not stop until our city is completely clean again," Sanwo-Olu said. He urged residents to dispose of waste properly and avoid dumping it in drainage channels or on roads.
Wahab acknowledged residents hadn't received satisfactory waste-collection services. Responding to criticism from Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2027 governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said delays at disposal facilities could slow truck turnaround, disrupt collection schedules and leave refuse piling up.
Wahab said the state was pursuing modern transfer loading stations, material recovery facilities, recycling, composting and the Epe waste-to-energy project. The state is also strengthening contractor monitoring with property enumeration, geocoded service locations, GPS tracking, weighbridge measurements, collection records and recovery data. Operators found underperforming face sanctions or termination, he said.
The proposals call for transparent monitoring, adequate financing and contracts linked to measurable performance. The state also says private investment and external partnerships could help fund larger infrastructure projects. The immediate backlog, though, remained visible as the government announced its cleanup effort.