The Lagos State Government has announced that it’s seeking partnerships with investors to convert the city’s municipal solid waste into energy and other valuable resources.
The state’s Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced this during a panel discussion at the Harvard University Climate Action Week.
“We now see waste as a resource for wealth, a resource for energy because the quantum of waste that ends up in our landfill sites will become very minimal whilst we convert our waste into a better resource,” Wahab stated.
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Lagos, with a population of over 20 million people, generates 13,000 metric tonnes of waste daily.
The commissioner explained that the state has already conducted feasibility studies on waste-to-energy and wastewater projects, demonstrating its commitment to a sustainable and climate-friendly approach.
Wahab highlighted a recent contract with a Ghanaian company to convert 4,000 metric tonnes of waste daily into composite fertilizers and recyclable plastics.
He said if successful, this collaboration could lead to the decommissioning of two of Lagos’ largest landfills, Olusosun and Solous.
The commissioner also addressed the challenges Lagos faces as a coastal city, including rising sea levels, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding.
He noted that the government is implementing resilient drainage infrastructure and cracking down on those who build on floodplains.
“We also prosecute those who wilfully destroy the ecosystem,” he said.
He urged citizens to stop dumping waste in drainage systems, which contributes to flooding.
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Wahab revealed that massive land reclamation for real estate has increased Lagos’ original landmass from 3,577 sq. m to 4,050 sq. m.
Accoring to him, to manage this, the state now requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a drainage master plan for any new reclamation project to ensure proper stormwater discharge.
