The Lagos State Government has announced the deployment of more than 200 additional compactor trucks to strengthen waste collection and evacuation across the state.
Deputy Governor Kadri Obafemi Hamzat disclosed this during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Festac, Amuwo-Odofin.
Hamzat said the additional trucks would complement the existing Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste collection system and help address the increasing volume of waste generated across Lagos.
He also urged residents to use approved waste disposal channels and avoid patronising unregulated cart pushers.
According to him, cart pushers operate outside the formal waste management system, making it difficult to determine where the waste collected by them is eventually dumped.
He warned that indiscriminate disposal of refuse, particularly in drainage channels, could obstruct water flow and contribute to flooding.
The deputy governor also called on residents to take greater responsibility for maintaining clean surroundings, stressing that environmental sanitation required cooperation between the government and communities.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the government had intensified efforts to improve waste collection and address challenges at landfills and dumpsites.
Wahab said the state was also engaging with PSP operators to improve service delivery, while urging residents to make use of approved waste collection services.
He added that the government was gradually moving towards a system where waste would be recovered and converted into useful materials rather than being disposed of entirely in landfills.
On the activities of cart pushers, the commissioner said the government was engaging with them but remained concerned about their role in indiscriminate waste disposal and potential security issues.
He said some cart pushers had been linked to the dumping of refuse in drainage channels and road medians, practices that could worsen flooding and environmental problems.
The state government said enforcement against illegal waste disposal and unregulated waste operators would continue as part of efforts to improve waste management across Lagos.
