FEATURE: Lagos drowning in refuse again: Heaps return to roads, medians, bus stops

The stretch of Ikotun Road tells a familiar story. Along parts of the median, refuse has accumulated in heaps, with plastic bags, bottles, food waste and other discarded materials occupying spaces meant to separate traffic. At some points, the waste is scattered beyond the median, leaving motorists and pedestrians to pass alongside it.

The problem is not confined to Ikotun. Across parts of Lagos, refuse has again become a visible feature of the urban landscape, appearing on road medians, drainage channels, bus stops, road setbacks, market areas and residential streets.

Recent observations and reports from different parts of the metropolis show waste accumulation in areas including Ikotun, Igando, Idimu, Ejigbo, Egbeda, Iyana-Ipaja, Oshodi, Isolo, Mushin, Agege, Abule-Egba, Ajao Estate, Okota and parts of Lagos Island.

The locations differ, but the pattern is similar: waste is collected in some areas, evacuated, and then begins to accumulate again.

Along the Ikotun-Ejigbo corridor, refuse has remained a recurring environmental problem. The issue has also extended to the Ikotun Market and Igando areas, where waste has been dumped around public spaces and, in some cases, on road medians.

The situation has prompted enforcement by the Lagos Waste Management Authority, particularly against businesses and operators accused of dumping refuse on unauthorised portions of the road.

But enforcement has not ended the problem. On the Idimu-Ejigbo Road, a large refuse heap on the median around the Dorcas and Silva Estate axis has remained a concern. The heap, extending for a considerable distance along the median, has become one of the more visible examples of the difficulty of keeping waste from returning after evacuation.

The Egbeda-Ikotun Road has faced a similar cycle. Waste has previously been cleared from portions of the road, only for residents and roadside operators to resume dumping in some locations.

In Iyana-Ipaja and Egbeda, refuse has also been observed around roads and public spaces, while the wider Alimosho axis continues to experience pressure from the volume of waste generated by its densely populated communities.

In Oshodi and Isolo, waste has accumulated around roads and bus stops. The Iyana Isolo Under Bridge, along the Apapa-Oshodi and Oshodi-Apapa corridors, has also featured among locations where refuse has become difficult to ignore.

In Mushin, some roads and market areas have continued to contend with discarded household and commercial waste. Residents have also complained about irregular evacuation in some locations.

Parts of Agege, Abule-Egba and Ajao Estate have similarly recorded waste accumulation, while on the Island, refuse has been observed around locations including Tinubu, Apongbon, Oke-Arin and other busy commercial areas.

At some bus stops, the problem is particularly visible. Waste meant to be removed from homes and businesses ends up around passenger shelters, road shoulders and nearby drains. Plastic bottles, nylon, food waste and other materials are mixed together, creating piles that grow as more people add to them.

The current situation follows months of pressure on Lagos’ waste-management system.

The state generates thousands of tonnes of waste daily, placing considerable pressure on collection trucks, transfer points and final disposal facilities.

One of the major problems identified by waste operators is not simply the number of trucks available to collect refuse, but what happens after the trucks collect it.

Disposal sites have faced capacity and accessibility challenges, creating delays for trucks waiting to discharge their loads. A truck spending hours in a queue at a disposal facility is a truck that cannot return quickly to the community where more waste is waiting to be collected.

That creates a chain reaction. Household waste remains longer than scheduled. Commercial waste accumulates around shops and markets. Some residents then resort to roadside dumping, while waste already deposited on medians grows as additional refuse is added.

The Lagos State Government has responded with additional evacuation operations and increased enforcement.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently described the situation as a “small state of emergency” and ordered measures aimed at increasing waste evacuation, including the deployment of additional trucks and efforts to ease pressure on disposal facilities.

The state has also announced plans to strengthen waste-management infrastructure, including additional facilities intended to improve the movement of waste from collection points to disposal and treatment locations.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority has meanwhile intensified enforcement.

Markets, shops, hotels, warehouses and other commercial premises have been sealed in some locations over sanitation violations, particularly indiscriminate dumping.

In the Ikotun-Igando axis, LAWMA enforcement teams have targeted premises accused of dumping refuse on road medians despite warnings.

There have also been arrests of people accused of unauthorised waste disposal in different parts of the state.

Yet the return of refuse to locations that have previously been cleared shows that evacuation alone does not solve the problem.

Residents also play a role. In some communities, refuse is deposited on road medians, in drainage channels and on vacant plots even where waste collection services are available. Traders and roadside businesses also generate large quantities of waste, particularly food remnants, cartons, plastic containers and nylon.

Where collection is delayed, the accumulated waste becomes even more difficult to control.

The consequences extend beyond appearance. Refuse dumped into drains can obstruct the movement of storm water. Plastic materials can be carried into waterways during rainfall. Decomposing organic waste attracts flies and rodents, while stagnant water around blocked drains can provide breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

The problem therefore becomes more complicated during the rainy season. For Lagos residents who travel daily through the affected corridors, the issue is no longer an isolated heap here or there. It is the repeated appearance of waste at locations that are already familiar to commuters.

The Ikotun-Ejigbo Road, Idimu-Ejigbo corridor, Egbeda-Ikotun Road, Igando, Iyana-Ipaja, Oshodi, Isolo and Mushin are among the areas where the waste problem has recently been visible.

The challenge now facing Lagos is how to prevent cleared locations from becoming dumpsites again.

More trucks can evacuate accumulated waste. Enforcement can punish illegal dumping. New disposal and transfer facilities can increase system capacity.

But the effectiveness of the system ultimately depends on all three stages working together: waste must be properly stored, collected on schedule and taken to an accessible facility where it can be safely processed or disposed of.

Until that cycle functions consistently, the familiar sight of refuse returning to Lagos roads and medians is likely to remain a recurring feature of the city.