In Nigeria, the city of Lagos is benefiting from new trucks to improve the collection of solid waste that causes pollution and flooding.
The economic capital of Nigeria is ready to face public insalubrity. The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has just handed over several trucks to the municipal authorities to strengthen the sanitation system. “We have made the necessary arrangements in all the districts to ensure that before and after the celebration of Easter, the people especially the occupants of buildings can benefit from a more efficient collection service,” explains Ibrahim Odumboni, the Managing Director of LAWMA.
The initiative will facilitate solid waste collection operations especially in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, Banana Island, and Badagry Beach. These areas are at the forefront of the floods that occur throughout the year in Lagos causing bridges to collapse, destroying homes and fields, and displacing people. The new trucks will facilitate the evacuation of household waste, which often ends up in the gutters before blocking the drainage of rainwater.
With its 21 million inhabitants, Lagos is the largest city in Africa, ahead of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This demographic growth has led to a tide of waste, including 200,000 tons of plastic per year, according to the World Economic Forum. In the second half of 2022, the local authorities announced the future selection of a private company whose main mission will be to recycle the waste.
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The Lagos State government wants to draw inspiration from the “Cycle Plast Project” jointly implemented by the American soft drink multinational Coca-Cola and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC). This recycling program aims to rid the West African country of 8,910 tons of plastic waste (water and yoghurt bags, edible oil and detergent bottles, etc.) each year in the states of Kano, Adamawa, Abia, Kwara, Edo, as well as the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
