Lagos replaces dumpsites with waste loading stations

The Agege TLS which construction started in September, 2011, according to official of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Ola Oresanya, suffered delay in construction due to various litigations for 24 months.
He said the Agege station is the third in the 20 planned for Lagos metropolis to replace the dumpsites within the city, adding that the TLS were designed with the capacity to handle 1,000 tonnes of waste per day.
He explained further that the targeted 20 TLS are to manage the over 11,000 metric tonnes of waste being generated in Lagos on daily basis. “The increase in wastes tonnage from 8,000 tonnes in 2008 to over 11,000 tonnes in 2013 was as a result of the increasing growth in commercial activities in Lagos coupled with the trend in the city’s population growth.
“This increase in waste generation figure and lack of space for landfill sites together with the high premium on land, informed the decision to replace the present dumpsite in the city,” Oresanya noted.
Speaking about the previous TLS situated at Oshodi and Simpson area on Lagos Island, Oresanya explained that the Simpson station  that was unveiled in March, 2009 has processed over 600,000 metric tonnes of solid waste while the Oshodi TLS commissioned in September 2011 has also processed a total of 324,651 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste.
“The two stations have been operating without hindrance and not causing any form of environmental nuisance to their host communities. Both sites remain iconic for government agencies, private institutions, NGO’s and students alike.
“The significant addition to the Oshodi and Agege stations is the inclusion of the Medical Waste Plant and potential for on-site sorting. With the established benchmarks for development and operation of the TLS, LAWMA is set to allow the private sector to participate effectively and creditably in the rapid development of the remaining 17 TLS across the state. For the immediate take-off, four sites are ready for development. The sites are Ogombo, Abule-Egba, Ishasi and Owutu in Ikorodu,” the LAWMA boss disclosed.
Oresanya stressed that the Agege TLS will provide a buy-back centre for Agege and its environs and also serve as a resource centre where used clothes, used bags and household items will be collected and handed over to the less privileged in the society under the LAWMA “Re-Use” programme.
He re-assured residents of Ikeja, Agege and Ogba that the new station will add to effective collection services and that the station will not degrade the environment but rather enhance the aesthetics of the whole area.
Speaking about the state government’s effort to manage waste effectively, Governor Babatunde Fashola said all the TLS are major hallmark in the quest for adoption of adaptable technological innovation development in the waste management sector in particular and other public utility services.
Fashola recalled that on assumption of duty in 2007, infrastructures gap was identified as major challenge that militates against effective solid waste management, hence the promise to construct TLS in the state.
“The project was targeted to enhance effective waste collection and transportation within the state. We are conscious of the direct correlation between population and waste generation; thus our resolve to match the service demand with adequate infrastructure,” the governor said.