By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Residents of Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, have complained of persistent irregular waste collection despite paying about ₦48,000 every two months for refuse evacuation under the Lagos State Waste Management Authority system.
The residents raised the concerns in a report published on Tuesday, saying delayed evacuation by Private Sector Participant operators has left refuse overflowing at collection points, exposing the community to foul odours, disease risks and worsening environmental conditions.
They said waste has piled up around Ago Roundabout, Avenue Junction and Funsho Kinoshi Street, with overflowing bins forcing residents and motorists to navigate heaps of refuse.
Residents explained that while households properly bag and store waste for collection, delays by PSP operators cause bins to overflow, encouraging indiscriminate dumping, especially at night, and increasing the risk of blocked drainage channels and flooding.
A resident, Mrs Arike Johnson, described it as unfair for residents to continue paying for a service that is not delivered consistently.
Another resident, Miss Favour Ogunleye, warned that poor waste evacuation could worsen flooding in the area by obstructing drainage channels during heavy rainfall.
The residents urged LAWMA to strengthen oversight of PSP operators, enforce approved collection schedules, respond promptly to complaints and sanction operators that repeatedly fail to provide efficient services.
Responding, President of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, Adesola Olugbenga, said the problem extends beyond PSP operators, citing poor access roads to landfill sites, limited disposal capacity and heavy rainfall during June and July as major factors slowing waste evacuation.
He added that the recent commissioning of Road E at the Olusosun disposal facility has improved access for waste trucks and expressed optimism that waste collection would improve.
Olugbenga also identified rising operational costs, particularly increased diesel prices since the current waste tariff was introduced in 2022, and called for better access to disposal facilities, cost-reflective tariffs and stronger payment compliance to ensure sustainable waste management.
