Lagos To Build Waste-to-Energy Plants

Lagos State government has hinted on plans to build waste to Energy plants in Olusosun,  Epe and Badagry dumpsites in different parts of the state.

The state’s commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, revealed this at the waste-to-energy summit, “Driving Environmental Sustainability,” held in Lagos.

He said plans are afoot to radically improve the waste management system in the state.

The event, organised by Rack Centre in partnership with the NYSC Community Development Service (CDS), in Lagos brought together key stakeholders to discuss sustainable solutions to waste management challenges.

In his keynote address, Wahab, represented by the managing director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, emphasised the need for proper dumpsite management to mitigate environmental hazards.

“When Olusosun was established, it was actually on the outskirts, but development caught up with it. There’s a lot of pressure on solid waste management, which is why we are working on reducing the amount of waste dumped on the Olusosun landfill through recycling initiatives,” he explained.

He further outlined LAWMA’s strategic plans to transform waste management in the state, by focusing more on recycling, introducing various initiatives such as development of compost and biogas plants, to reduce the volume of waste going to landfills.

“We are working on developing composting and biogas plants on the site. The future state is that we are going to decommission the Olusosun landfill; we are already in the process. Decommissioning the dumpsite is necessary to address long-term environmental and health impacts. In doing this, we are going to comply with international best practices”, he stressed.

Gbadegesin also announced plans to establish waste-to-energy plants across the state, “Waste-to-energy plants will be established at the Epe dumpsite. The plan is to have three waste-to-energy plants in the state at Badagry, Epe, and Olusosun. We are exploring other alternatives to be used as landfills since we are working on shutting down the Olusosun landfill.”

The convener of the summit and a serving corps member, Dolapo Olaoluwa  said he envisioned a gathering of key stakeholders to discuss solutions to the challenges posed by the Olusosun dumpsite and other waste management issues, as a way of contributing meaningfully to the community where he was serving.