The Lagos State Government is set to deploy an additional 220 trucks to strengthen waste evacuation and improve environmental management across the state.


The Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, disclosed this on Saturday while speaking with journalists during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Festac, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.


Hamzat said the new trucks would complement the existing Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste collection system and increase the state’s capacity to cope with the growing volume of waste generated daily.


He attributed the rising waste challenge partly to the state’s growing population, stressing that the increasing number of people living and working in Lagos had resulted in higher volumes of waste.


“The state government will be bringing in another 220 trucks to make sure that we supplement our PSP,” Hamzat said.


The Deputy Governor also urged residents to patronise accredited PSP operators rather than cart pushers, warning that indiscriminate disposal of waste could create environmental and security challenges.


He cautioned residents against dumping refuse in canals and drainage channels, noting that blocked waterways could obstruct the flow of water and worsen flooding during heavy rainfall.


Hamzat further called on communities to sustain regular environmental sanitation exercises, saying residents should take responsibility for keeping their surroundings clean.


He said the government was encouraging communities to organise sanitation exercises at least once a month as part of efforts to promote a healthier and more sustainable environment.


“We cannot be a people without a healthy environment. It doesn’t matter what we do, a cleaner environment is what makes a city or a state sustainable,” he said.


Also speaking, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said waste management in the state was improving following the deployment of 24-hour emergency response teams and interventions at landfills and dumpsites.


Wahab said the government had intensified engagement with PSP operators to improve waste collection and had intervened in areas where the Lagos State Waste Management Authority would ordinarily not operate.


He added that Lagos was gradually transitioning from the traditional “collect and dump” model to a circular waste management system focused on recovering waste and converting it into useful resources.


According to him, the transition had led to the development of material recovery facilities in Badagry and Epe, as well as transfer stations at Soluyi and Olusosun.


Wahab also raised concerns about some activities of cart pushers, saying investigations indicated that some of them dumped collected waste in drainage channels and road medians, thereby contributing to environmental degradation and flooding.


The commissioner said the government would continue engaging cart pushers but would avoid measures capable of creating additional environmental or security challenges.


The state government said the broader objective was to strengthen waste collection, improve environmental cleanliness and encourage residents to take greater responsibility for maintaining a clean and sustainable Lagos.