LAWMA boss urges Lagosians to see waste as wealth, not trash

LAWMA boss urges Lagosians to see waste as wealth, not trash

By Folashade Kadiri

The Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, has called on residents of Lagos to rethink their approach to waste disposal, describing waste as a valuable economic resource that should not be discarded thoughtlessly.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at the LAWMA headquarters in Ijora-Olopa, Dr. Gbadegesin said the future of effective waste management in Lagos lies in embracing recycling and the principles of a circular economy.

“What people call waste is actually not waste, but money,” he said. “Many Lagosians are already earning a decent income by collecting recyclables and selling them to recycling companies. Waste is a byproduct of human activity, but we can’t continue to simply dispose of it. We must transition to a circular economy where we reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

He emphasized LAWMA’s vision of a Lagos where at least 90% of waste generated is recycled, urging households to adopt waste segregation practices. “We have consistently campaigned for homes to separate general waste from recyclables such as paper, PET bottles, cans, and textiles. These can be collected by recyclers who offer monetary or other incentives in return,” he explained.

Dr. Gbadegesin highlighted the role of the private sector in driving sustainable waste management, noting that while private operators currently handle waste collection, more of them are being encouraged to venture into recycling.

He also revealed plans to transform decommissioned landfill sites at Olusosun and Solous into Transfer Loading Stations and, ultimately, Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). “The vision is to reduce waste generation, manage waste sustainably, and extract maximum value from the materials we discard,” he added.

LAWMA, according to him, is actively collaborating with both major corporations and innovative start-ups such as GreenDeall, which is set to build a recycling plant at a former dumpsite in Abule-Egba. The facility will convert certain plastics into oil for industrial use.

Further expanding its impact, the agency is developing a “deal book” to be launched later in the year, which will detail business opportunities in the waste management sector. It will include a base map of operational zones to help interested investors navigate and choose areas of engagement.

Education and youth involvement are also central to LAWMA’s strategy. Dr. Gbadegesin noted the agency’s robust outreach through the LAWMA Academy, which runs weekly environmental education campaigns in schools and a monthly internship programme for students and graduates to learn modern waste management techniques.

“We are working to raise a generation that sees waste as wealth. Mr. Governor has supported this vision by providing 2,000 recycling bins to primary schools. We’ve also partnered with recycling companies to pick up plastics from these schools,” he said.

He added that LAWMA recently received approval from the Ministry of Education to establish two modern recycling hubs in Yaba schools, where students will operate fully functional recycling centers with bins for various waste types including paper, metal, and organic waste.

“If we continue this effort consistently, the children will grow up with the mindset that waste is wealth,” Gbadegesin said, pointing to behavioral change as the most significant hurdle in waste management and highlighting the agency’s long-term plan to instill sustainable habits in young Lagosians.

With these multi-level initiatives, LAWMA aims to reposition waste management as a driver of environmental sustainability, job creation, and economic development across the state.