Sustainable waste management in focus as PEWAN gathers stakeholders

When stakeholders gather next week in Lagos for a forum hosted by the Property and Environment Writers Association of Nigeria (PEWAN), sustainable waste management will be the focus of discussion.

Stakeholders will deliberate on effective approaches to address waste management challenges in Lagos, Nigeria’s sprawling commercial nerve centre.

Records show that Lagos generates about 5.46 million tonnes of waste annually, with a daily average of about 13,000 tonnes, but effective and efficient management of household and industrial waste remains a significant challenge.

Many of these wastes, which are not efficiently moved to dump sites due to operational challenges, litter the environment, clog drains and water bodies, pose risks to residents, and undermine the goal of a hygienic environment.

The forum, with the theme ‘Waste Management: Challenges, Policy Framework and Solution for Sustainable Megacity,’ will be held at NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Street, Alausa, Ikeja, on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 10 am.

Expected at the event as speakers are Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the managing director/chief executive officer of Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), and Olugbenga Adebola, president, Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, among others.

Gbadegesin will speak on ‘Managing the Waste of 22million Lagosians: From Linear Disposal to a Circular Economy—Role of PSP Operators and Other Waste Managers.’

LAWMA is implementing a 10-year, technology-driven waste management program under the THEMES+ agenda (Health and Environment pillar), transitioning from conventional dumpsites to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and upgrading Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) at Olusosun and Solous.

Earlier, the agency announced plans to deploy at least 100 CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) compactor trucks this year to enhance cleaner, eco-friendly collection using smart bins (RFID).

It has also commenced a ‘Trash for Cash’ initiative that encourages residents to recycle and reduce landfill waste, to increase recycling rates. These and other critical areas will form part of the insights from the regulator at the forum.

The speakers are expected to explore various challenges confronting waste management in Lagos metropolis, particularly PSP operations.

It is expected that the forum will also explore solutions ranging from expanded recycling to waste-to-energy initiatives, and what the regulators and operators are doing towards achieving a clean city through actionable policy, sustained investment, and above all, a shift in public behaviour.

Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie, PEWAN chairman, noted that for a megacity already straining under its own success, how the state manages its waste may ultimately determine its health, longevity, and economic resilience.

“It is in view of this development that our association deemed it crucial to bring together critical stakeholders in the waste management ecosystem to discuss and proffer solutions to the waste management challenge,” she said.

She hopes the forum will help educate and raise awareness on the government’s initiatives to ensure a cleaner, more sustainable environment in Lagos.