To achieve sustainable waste management, the Property and Environment Writers Association of Nigeria (PEWAN) has disclosed plan to convene critical stakeholders to deliberate on effective ways in tackling the waste management challenges in Lagos State.
Statistics show that Lagos generates a staggering 5.46 million tonnes of waste yearly, with a daily average of about 13,000 tonnes but effective and efficient management of households and industrial wastes have remained a daunting issue for authorities in the value chain.
Many of these wastes are not efficiently moved to the dump sites due to operational challenges, littered the environment including clogging the drains, water bodies, portend dangers to residents and derail the goal of having an hygienic environment for all.
To this end, the theme for the forum is: “Waste Management: Challenges, Policy Framework and Solution for Sustainable Megacity” and is scheduled to hold at NECA’s House Building, located at Hakeem Balogun Street, Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos, on Wednesday March 18, 2026 at 10 a.m.
Speakers include the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, and the President, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAMN), Dr. Olugbenga Adebola, among other speakers.
Dr Gbadegesin will speak on the topic: “Managing the waste of 22 million Lagosians – from linear disposal to a circular economy: role of PSP operators, other waste managers.”
LAWMA is implementing a 10-year, technology-driven waste management under the THEMES+ agenda (Health and Environment pillar), thereby transitioning from conventional dumpsites to Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) and upgrading Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) at Olusosun and Solous.
The agency had revealed that it plans to deplore no fewer than 100 CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) compactor trucks this year to enhance cleaner, eco-friendly collection, using smart bins (RFID).
It has also commenced “Trash for Cash” initiative, thereby encouraging residents to recycle and reduce landfill waste, with a goal to increase recycling rates. These and other critical areas will form part of the insights from the regulator.
The experts are expected to explore various challenges confronting waste management in Lagos metropolis particularly as regards PSP operations.
The forum will also explore solutions ranging from expanded recycling to waste-to-energy initiatives, and what the regulators and operators are doing towards achieving a clean city through actionable policy, sustained investment, and above all, a shift in public behaviour.
Chairman of PEWAN, Mrs. Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie, said for a megacity already straining under its own success, how the state manages its waste may ultimately determine its health, longevity, and economic resilience.
According to her, it is in view of this development that the association deemed it crucial to bring together critical stakeholders in the waste management ecosystem to proffer solutions to waste management issue which is fast becoming an environmental menace in the state.
She pointed out that the forum would further help to educate and create more awareness about government’s initiatives in ensuring a sustainable and cleaner environment in Lagos State.
The Chairman noted that majority of Lagos residents are yet to embrace the key initiatives of regulators, hence the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised locations across the metropolis.
“We’ve also observed that the waste managers – the PSP Operators and Street Sweepers – are yet to catch the bug of technology-driven waste management in Lagos State,” she said.
PEWAN is an association of dedicated property and environment journalists from both the print, online and broadcast media organisations in Nigeria.