Lagos Waste Reporter

Nine persons have been sentenced to one-week imprisonment over illegal waste disposal in Lagos State. The Special Offences Court, (Environmental Unit), Ogba ruled that their action was in clear violation of the Environmental Law of Lagos. The violators were arrested during the enforcement operation by the Lagos State Environment Sanitation Corp (LAGESC) and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in different locations for indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the roads. Of the nine environmental offenders, six were men and three women, who were arraigned before the Special Offences Court presided over by Chief Magistrate M. A Ojo for dumping refuse illegally in a public place which is contrary to and punishable under the Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017. When their charge was read, they pleaded guilty to the charges but begged the court to temper justice with mercy. Ojo, however, sentenced them to one-week imprisonment wit...

LAWMA Committed to Cleaner Waterways for Safe Transportation – Gbadegesin The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that waterways in the state were cleaner for safe water transportation. Its Managing Director, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, stated this while receiving a fleet of six boats, donated by Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), to support the operations of the marine waste unit of the Authority, as part of the group’s “Waterways Clean-up Project”. Gbadegesin said the marine waste unit of LAWMA since establishment, had been working hard to ensure that shorelines and waterways in the state, were free of waste and water hyacinth, and to prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse by members of the public. He said: “We’re totally committed to protecting the aquatic splendor of Lagos State by sustaining refuse/litter-free shorelines, through effective waste collection and policing while providing economic activities for...

WORLD TOLERANCE DAY: LASEPA SEALS EIGHT RELIGIOUS OUTLETS OVER ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION … SAYS A NOISELESS LAGOS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE As Lagos State joins other countries of the world to commemorate the 2019 United Nations International Day of Tolerance on Saturday, 16th of November, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, (LASEPA) embarked on the clamp down of some religious outlets comprising of mosques and churches across different areas of the State for persistent environmental pollution and disruption of peaceful co-existence of residents of the State. Some of the facilities are located at; 68, old Otta Rd, Orile Agege, 4, Ademola Oshinowo Off love all Str, Ketu, Dele Amuda Street, Lekki, 17, Ajileye Str, Ilaje Bariga, 39, Kusenla Road Elegunshi, Ajayi Bembe Str. Abule Oja Yaba among others. Following the clamp down exercise of these religious outlets, being part of the routine enforcement drive by LASEPA, the General Manager of the Agency, Dr Dolapo Fasawe said there...

Noise: LASG gives condition for sealed clubs’ reopening The Lagos State Government has said night clubs and bars sealed over noise pollution will no longer be reopened without a clearance letter from the residents’ association of the area where they do business. Also affected are churches and mosques said to have violated the state law on noise pollution. The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, said the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency had been mandated to apply the full weight of the law in the matter. Bello, according to a statement on Tuesday, said LASEPA officials would go on surveillance visits regularly and any centre found to have exceeded the allowed level of sound output would be shut down and sanctions applied. He noted that the government observed that many of the leisure and religious centres reopened after being sealed usually returned to the same noise pollution for which they were earlier axed. The commissioner ...

LAWMA APPEALS TO RESIDENTS TO PATRONIZE PSP OPERATORS ...steps up Enforcement The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has called on residents to properly dispose of their domestic wastes by bagging them and patronizing assigned PSP operators.  The Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, in a statement , disclosed that measures had been put in place to reposition the services of PSP operators in the state and ensure that household waste evacuation was carried out at least once in a week. Dr. Gbadegesin said that PSP operators, as partners in progress in achieving a sustainable environment in Lagos, were being empowered by the state government to enable them perform optimally, adding that residents should endeavour to pay for service rendered. The managing director noted that waste collection and disposal services were never free anywhere in the world, adding that rates currently payable by residents for such services were reasonable, suggest...

Lagos To Commence Operation Zero Tolerance On Street Trading The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) is set to commence Operation Zero Tolerance on Street Trading and hawking across the state in line with the mandate of the present administration of His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu at promoting a cleaner, hygienic and aesthetically resplendent environment. The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) through advocacy, as well as ensuring total enforcement of the environmental Sanitation laws of the state will liaise with appropriate stakeholders before massive enforcement and implementation. The Corps Marshal of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), CP Akinpelu Gbemisola (rtd) disclosed this on Moday at Alausa, Ikeja during one of its advocacy campaigns to the President-General, Association of Commodity Women and Men of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo. According to her, “the present administration of His Excellency, Mr. Babajide S...

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues,as rapidly increasing production of disposable plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them. Plastic pollution is most visible in developing Asian and African nation. There will be more plastic than fish in all the oceans and seas by 2050, and this dismaying fact is one among many cited by environmentalists warning us to seriously limit our use of all kinds of plastics – now!

Today Lagos waste management authority (Lawma)  received the Deputy Head of Mission of the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria, Mrs. Anne-Beatrice Bullinger and Consultant on Renewable Energies & Waste Recycling, Dr. Isabelle Chevalley, on a courtesy visit and tour of Olusosun landfill.

New Technologies Could Revolutionize Waste Cleanup & Disposal. We need to change how we think about trash. Lagos has an estimated waste generation of over 15,000 tonnes every day. Globally,we generate about 2.01 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually. Overall waste generation could increase to 3.4 billion tons by 2050, according to the World Bank. Our trash problem poses serious risks to the environment and human health. As world population grows, we’ll need to improve our waste cleanup and disposal methods. Here are some of the technologies and methods that may become important moving forward. .Near-Infrared Spectroscopy To protect the environment, we need to move toward a circular economy, meaning we need to recycle more. One challenge to increasing recycling rates is improving methods by which we distinguish different types of plastics. A technique called near-infrared spectroscopy could help with this. It involves measuring the spectral differe...

Environmental pollution has a cumulative effect on the health of not just humans, but every living being. Pollution mainly is categorised as air, water, noise and land pollution. Air pollution due to various emissions can cause breathing in of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, etc. These pollutants have varied impacts. Breathing ailments are common, nausea, headache, dizziness or skin irritations are also observed. Water is polluted by chemicals used in industries, pharmacies and also domestically. Sewage from residential/commercial places and effluents from industries are a major cause of water pollution. Also emissions from industry cause acid rain. Ingesting polluted water can cause gastrointestinal ailments, nausea, diarrhoea. Continuously consuming polluted water with lead, arsenic can make individuals prone to cancer. Recently increasing pollution has also caused mass killing of a number of fishes. Noise pollution by automob...

LAWMA TO DECOMISSION OLUSOSUN, SOLUS LANDFILL SITES .  The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has concluded plans to decommission its landfill sites at Olusosun and Solous, due to urban encroachment and increased human activities around the areas. .  The hint was given by the managing director of the agency Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, who noted that the move became necessary as both sites drew close to the end of their life spans. .  According to him, 'The process of winding down activities at those landfill sites has commenced. There were not much human activities close to the sites at inception but fast-paced development in the state has seen houses built around them'. .  He said further that, 'The government is opening a new chapter in modern waste management for the state, through a number of comprehensive short and long-term strategies that could include, reactivation of Kesse Landfill project at Badagry; construction of additional material recovery facili...

Caught in the act- Tricycle driver dumped bags of refuse on road median