Lagos Govt Unveils Waste Management Plan

…To build waste-to-energy plants at Olusosun, Epe and Badagry

Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, has unveiled plans to radically improve the waste management system in the state.

He made this disclosure at a Waste to Energy Summit themed, “Driving Environmental Sustainability”, held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja,

The event, organized by Rack Centre, in partnership with the NYSC Community Development Service (CDS), brought together key stakeholders to discuss sustainable solutions to waste management challenges.

In his keynote address, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Wahab, who was represented by the Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, emphasized the need for proper dumpsite management to mitigate environmental hazards.

“When Olusosun was established, it was actually on the outskirts, but development caught up with it.

“There’s a lot of pressure on solid waste management, which is why we are working on reducing the amount of waste dumped on the Olusosun landfill through recycling initiatives,” he explained.

As contained in a statement e-signed by the Director, Public Affairs in the Ministry, Folashade Kadiri, Wahab further outlined LAWMAN’s strategic plans to transform waste management in the state by focusing more on recycling, introducing various initiatives such as development of compost and biogas plants to reduce the volume of waste going to landfills.

Recall that the Commissioner, while responding to questions from journalists during recently- concluded Ministerial Press Briefing Held at the Bagauda Kaltho Tess Center, Alausa Ikeja, stated plans by the state to decommission the Olusosun dumpsite and build a waste to wealth plant in its place.

“We are working on developing composting and biogas plants on the site. The future state is that we are going to decommission the Olusosun landfill; we are already in the process.

“Decommissioning the dumpsite is necessary to address long-term environmental and health impacts. In doing this, we are going to comply with international best practices”, he stressed.

Dr. Gbadegesin also announced plans to establish waste-to-energy plants across the state: “Waste-to-energy plants will be established at the Epe dumpsite. The plan is to have three waste-to-energy plants in the state at Badagry, Epe, and Olusosun.

“We are exploring other alternatives to be used as landfills since we are working on shutting down the Olusosun landfill.”

Dolapo Olaoluwa, the convener of the summit and a serving corps member, said he envisioned a gathering of key stakeholders to discuss solutions to the challenges posed by the Olusosun dumpsite and other waste management issues, as a way of contributing meaningfully to the community where he was serving.

Mr Adetayo Odusole, Head Sustainability Coordination, Rack Centre, expressed their enthusiasm for sponsoring the event, noting that Rack Centre was pleased to support the initiative as it aligned with their goals of achieving a sustainable environment in the state, emphasizing that achieving this required a collective effort.

Other speakers at the summit included: Ezekiel Egboye, Founding Executive and Chief Operating Officer, Rack Centre; Jide Onakoya, Chief Operating Officer, Elektron; Professor Emmanuel O. Ogolo, Professor of Atmospheric Physics (represented); Dr. Victor Abimbola Onifade, senior lecturer of Urban and Regional Planning; Olaide Ayodele-Taiwo, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer at the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA); and Yetunde Baderinwa, NYSC State Coordinator, Lagos State.

The highlight of the event was a panel discussion, where stakeholders and experts discussed sustainable solutions to waste management challenges in the state.

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