The Lagos State Government has warned residents who refuse to pay for waste management services provided by Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators that they may face criminal prosecution.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, issued the warning on Friday during a radio programme where he discussed the achievements and challenges of the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
Wahab said the government was reviewing the state’s waste management system and would introduce measures to ensure residents pay for services provided by PSP operators.
“All over the world, the standard policy for waste management is the ‘polluter-pays principle’. But here in Lagos, some of our people want to free-ride the system and have therefore chosen not to pay for the services rendered by PSP operators,” he said.
He warned that the failure to pay for waste collection services would have consequences under the revised system.
“All of these have adverse effects on the waste management system. However, we are now rejigging the system, and going forward, failure to pay for waste management services rendered will constitute a criminal offence,” Wahab said.
The commissioner said the government was also addressing challenges affecting waste collection, transportation and disposal across the state.
According to him, the administration identified several shortcomings following the resumption of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise and was taking steps to address them.
“Since we started the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, we, as a government, have identified some shortcomings on our part, and we are confronting them head-on,” he said.
Government Reviews PSP Operations
Wahab had earlier said the state was strengthening the regulation of PSP operators and working with waste managers to address operational challenges within the sector.
At a meeting with members of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria on Thursday, he said the government was reviewing the financial sustainability of PSP operations, including cost recovery and possible adjustments to enable operators to provide more efficient services.
He, however, stressed that any improvement in the financial framework must be accompanied by transparency, accountability and better service delivery.
“No PSP operator should use the challenges at the dumpsites or other operational difficulties as an excuse for failing to provide the required services to residents,” he said.
The commissioner also urged waste managers to fulfil their contractual obligations, maintain their fleets and ensure regular waste collection in their designated areas.
Lagos Improves Waste Disposal Facilities
The state government is also implementing measures to improve waste disposal infrastructure.
Wahab said ongoing interventions at the Solous dumpsite in Igando were aimed at reducing pressure on other disposal facilities and improving the turnaround time for waste trucks.
He said effective enforcement would be critical to ensuring that residents patronise designated PSP operators and refrain from dumping refuse on roads and other unauthorised locations.
The Lagos State Government has intensified environmental enforcement in recent months. In May, it announced that 931 people had been apprehended for waste management offences, while 239 facilities were sealed during monitoring and compliance operations.
The latest warning comes ahead of the state’s next monthly environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday, August 29, 2026.
The government said it was strengthening collaboration with waste managers to resolve operational challenges and improve the efficiency and consistency of waste collection across Lagos.
