Waste evacuation delays in Lagos will soon reduce as the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) repairs a key road to the Olusosun Disposal Facility and plans to buy 3,000 compactor trucks over the next three years.
LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, gave the assurance on Tuesday during an inspection of the rehabilitation of Road E at the Olusosun Disposal Facility.
He described the project as vital to restoring easy access for waste collection trucks and speeding up waste evacuation across Lagos.
Zoomlion Nigeria is carrying out the road rehabilitation as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Dr. Gbadegesin said the work would allow compactor trucks to enter the facility more easily, reduce waiting time and improve operations.
He explained that recent heavy rainfall damaged access to the Olusosun facility. The situation slowed the movement of compactor trucks and caused temporary waste evacuation delays in some parts of Lagos.
Dr. Gbadegesin said Olusosun receives about 10,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every day.
He noted that the facility remains one of Africa’s busiest waste disposal sites and needs uninterrupted access to keep operations running.
However, he said the Lagos State Government would decommission the facility only after putting enough alternative infrastructure in place.
He warned that closing Olusosun too early would disrupt waste management across the state.
He said Zoomlion is building two modern Transfer Loading Stations (TLSs) at Olusosun and Solous III. Each station will process 2,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, about 20 times the capacity of the existing Simpson Transfer Loading Station.
Meanwhile, LAWMA is creating more dumping platforms inside the Olusosun facility to improve traffic flow, cut waiting time for compactor trucks and support operations until the new stations become operational.
Dr. Gbadegesin disclosed that the Lagos State Government plans to acquire 3,000 compactor trucks of different sizes over the next three years.
About 150 units, including tricycle compactors for narrow streets and hard-to-reach communities, will arrive before the end of the year.
He said Lagos needs at least 2,000 working compactor trucks to manage the volume of waste generated daily. He added that the new fleet would strengthen Private Sector Participants (PSPs), improve service delivery and expand waste collection across the state.
LAWMA seeks residents’ patience
In response, Dr. Gbadegesin said Lagos will replicate the modern Transfer Loading Station model across the state.
He said the plan will reduce haulage distances, lower transport costs, improve efficiency and support a shift from landfill disposal to resource recovery and the circular economy.
He appealed to residents to remain patient, saying the waste evacuation delays are temporary. He assured them that conditions would improve as Road E rehabilitation continues, more operational platforms become available and ongoing investments begin to deliver results.
He reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to efficient, reliable and sustainable waste management. He also commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for investing in modern waste management infrastructure, fleet expansion and strategic partnerships.
External links
Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA): https://lawma.gov.ng
Lagos State Government: https://lagosstate.gov.ng
Zoomlion Ghana Limited: https://zoomlionghana.com
