Lagos to deploy 220 trucks to boost waste evacuation
Etim Ekpimah
Lagos State will deploy an additional 220 trucks to strengthen waste evacuation in the state, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has said.
Hamzat disclosed this on Saturday while speaking to journalists during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Festac, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area.
He said the additional trucks would complement the existing Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste collection system and help the government cope with the growing volume of refuse generated by the state’s expanding population.
“The state government will be bringing in another 220 trucks to make sure that we supplement our PSP,” Hamzat said, urging residents to patronise approved PSP operators rather than cart pushers.
He warned that indiscriminate waste disposal could obstruct drainage channels, restrict water flow and worsen flooding.
Hamzat also called on residents to take greater responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean and to dispose of waste through approved channels. He said communities should organise regular sanitation exercises to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
“We cannot be a people without a healthy environment. It doesn’t matter what we do, a cleaner environment is what makes a city or a state sustainable,” he said.
The deputy governor also stressed the importance of community participation in sustaining environmental cleanliness, while commending residents and local officials who took part in the sanitation exercise.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said waste management was improving, citing the deployment of 24-hour emergency response teams and efforts to address challenges at landfills and dumpsites.
Wahab said the government had also strengthened its engagement with PSP operators and intervened in areas where the Lagos State Waste Management Authority would ordinarily not operate.
He added that Lagos was moving from a system focused mainly on collecting and dumping waste to a circular model in which waste is recovered and converted into useful resources.
According to him, the transition has resulted in the development of material recovery facilities in Badagry and Epe, as well as transfer stations at Soluyi and Olusosun.
Wahab said the government was engaging cart pushers but would not adopt measures that could aggravate environmental or security problems.
He noted that investigations had shown that some cart pushers dumped refuse in drainage channels and road medians, contributing to flooding and other environmental challenges.
