Lagos To Shut Down Olusosun, Other Dumpsites For Waste To Energy Project

Determined to make good use of the high solid waste generated in the state, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA)  disclosed that it has concluded plans to permanently shut down the landfill sites at Olusosun and Solous in Igando and transform it to renewable energy stations.

Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, disclosed

this on Thursday during a one-day Stakeholders’ Forum on Sustainable Waste Management in Lagos State, held in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Gbadegesin said the initiative is in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s agenda to tackle environmental and health concerns associated with these sites.

He revealed that the shutting down and evacuation of waste at the dumpsites will commence in December 2024 and last for 18 months.

He emphasised his agency’s commitment to creating a cleaner Lagos and also collaborating with stakeholders for a sustainable environment.

“We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ZoomLion, which is a Ghanaian company. We have partnered with them to establish material recovery facilities. Even before that, they are going to cover the landfill; Olusosun and Solous within the next 18 months. They will cover it with Geotextiles, place solar panels on it and then, construct transfer loading stations, one at Solous and another at Olusosun, so that we can take the waste in trailers to material recovery facilities that will be constructed in Ikorodu and Badagry.

“The recovery facilities look like factories, you won’t see the waste and at the facilities, the bulk waste can then be circulated into various means, such as metals, plastics, that is the plan. We do not want waste on the streets of Lagos and we no longer want dumpsites. We want material recovery facilities,” he said.

The LAWMA boss mentioned that the whole essence of the forum is to incorporate the stakeholders to embrace the “adopt a bin” initiative of the government and support the environmental revolution strides of the state government towards creating wealth and ensuring a cleaner environment.

He added that the state, at the moment, only recycles eight per cent of the recyclable materials, while hoping to increase the efforts to over 20 percent in the next three years.

According to him: “We have introduced a two-bin programme, which means that every household and business should have a minimum of two bins, one for organic/general waste and another for dry recyclable waste like plastics, paper, metals.’’

Executive Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Kunle Adebiyi, said that solid waste management has been a pressing issue in the modern world driven by rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and population growth.