The authorities should find a lasting solution to the environmental problem
For the past six months, waste has inundated most parts of Lagos State. This, according to operators in the sector, is due to infrastructure and capacity deficit in the area of final disposal/dump sites and operational dumpsters. Apart from a dwindling number of dumpsters, most of which have expired, hence unserviceable, there is also the issue of accessibility. Last week, the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, publicly apologised to residents over the waste management challenges. But the important thing is to find a lasting solution to what has become a perennial problem that has almost turned most parts of the state into an environmental nightmare.
In its December 2025 report, ‘Throwing away our health: the impacts of solid waste on human health—evidence, knowledge gaps and health sector response’, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that poorly managed solid waste is driving a public health crisis and calls for urgent action to protect people and the environment they live in. “Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, WHO Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration. “If we continue to treat waste as an afterthought, we will lock in avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities. This report is a clear call to put health and equity at the centre of how we design, manage and ultimately reduce waste.”
The report summarises evidence on how solid waste – especially municipal solid waste – affects health through polluted air, water, soil, and food. When waste is not collected, or is dumped, burned or not poorly treated, it can release hazardous chemicals, contaminate drinking-water sources, and create breeding grounds for insects and rodents. Communities underserved by waste management services, those living near dumpsites and poorly managed landfills and incinerators, children and pregnant women, as well as waste workers – particularly those working informally – face the greatest risks. That has been the experience of residents of Ojota in the Ikeja local government as well as Igando and Abule-Egba in Alimosho local government and other areas where the landfills are located in Lagos.
Meanwhile, when waste is properly managed, it can become a resource – generating energy and creating green jobs. The report therefore calls for a coordinated, multisectoral response grounded in the waste hierarchy: preventing waste where possible, then reducing, reusing and recycling, with safe recovery and disposal. Key actions for governments and partners include reducing waste generation at source; expanding affordable and reliable waste collection services, especially in underserved communities; improving control at recovery and disposal facilities; and eliminating open dumping and burning, including hazardous waste.
When a large share of municipal solid waste is not collected or is disposed of in uncontrolled conditions, including open dumpsites and open burning, they undermine efforts to build healthy cities. That’s why Lagos authorities must do more than apologising to residents. Efforts must be made to find a lasting solution to the challenge. In most jurisdictions waste is no longer seen solely as refuse but as a resource of economic value, with recycling initiatives that lead to the creation of employment opportunities, encourage private sector participation, and contribute to environmental protection.
Along this line, many have advocated adopting a circular economy approach to waste management, in which materials are recovered, reused, and recycled. This can offer significant economic and business opportunities while reducing environmental impact. But beyond all these, to successfully address the waste management problem in Lagos, experts have advocated a multifaceted approach that promotes private sector investment in recycling facilities and encourages public awareness campaigns that would help in driving a behavioural change.