LAWMA intensifies waste collection, faults old videos

The Lagos Waste Management Authority has accused some individuals of circulating old videos and photographs of waste heaps in Mushin as though they depict the current situation, saying sustained intervention by the agency has significantly improved waste collection in the area.

LAWMA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said on Monday that the agency had deployed its trucks to inner streets and communities in Mushin over the past three weeks following service delays in some parts of the area.

Gbadegesin acknowledged that there had been delays in waste collection but said the authority’s intervention had changed the situation on the ground.

“Some of the videos being circulated as though they show the current situation in Mushin are old, and presenting them without dates or context is misleading,” he said.

“We acknowledge that there have been service delays in some areas, but LAWMA has stepped in, and the situation on the ground today is different.”

The agency said its intervention involved direct collection from households and communities, particularly in inner streets, alongside engagements with market and community leaders to identify service gaps and improve coordination.

Gbadegesin urged residents in areas experiencing collection delays to report them through their Community Development Associations or community leaders to enable LAWMA to arrange interim direct collection.

He also warned residents against disposing of refuse on road medians and other unauthorised locations, saying such practices undermined efforts to keep the city clean.

A resident of Dakobiri Street, Mushin, Taiwo Adenekan, said the intervention had resulted in more frequent access to LAWMA trucks in the area.

“We have seen LAWMA trucks coming into the market and taking away the waste,” she said, adding that the direct collection had made disposal easier for residents and reduced the likelihood of refuse being dumped in unauthorised locations.

The Babaloja of Irepodun Market, Mushin, Samsideen Obawunmi, said the engagement between LAWMA and market stakeholders had brought greater attention to waste management concerns in the community.

He said traders were also being encouraged to adopt proper waste disposal practices.

The General Secretary of Mushin Market, Kazeem, also commended the agency for engaging community representatives and responding to complaints, particularly through direct collection in inner streets.

Similarly, a resident of Moroduke, Mushin, Owolabi Akinwande, welcomed the intervention, saying direct collection had provided households with an easier means of disposing of their waste properly.

LAWMA said it would continue to intervene in areas experiencing service disruptions while working with private sector participation operators, market leaders, CDAs and other stakeholders to strengthen waste collection in Mushin and other affected areas.

The authority also reiterated its prohibition of dumping on road medians and urged residents to keep refuse properly packaged and dispose of it through approved collection channels.

While urging residents to disregard outdated materials that are being presented as current, LAWMA asked them to report genuine collection failures through the appropriate community channels.

The latest intervention comes against the backdrop of recurring concerns over waste collection in parts of Lagos, where delays in evacuation can quickly result in refuse accumulating on streets and other public spaces.

LAWMA said its focus was to address such service gaps before they resulted in sustained accumulation, while encouraging residents and community stakeholders to cooperate with waste collection operators.