Lagos State Government has announced plans to decommission the Olusosun landfill and the Solous 3 dumpsite within the next 18 months.
The government also assured residents that newly proposed
waste disposal sites will be developed with strict environmental safeguards to
prevent health risks to neighbouring communities.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo
Wahab, disclosed this during an inspection of the Olusosun facility in Ojota
and the Solous 3 site in the Igando area of Alimosho on Saturday.
According to Wahab, the inspection was part of ongoing
engagements with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, and Private
Sector Participation, PSP, operators as the state works to upgrade its refuse
disposal system.
“Conversations around the future of the Olusosun and Solous
3 sites have featured consistently at various levels, including meetings with
the governor and deliberations at the Executive Council.
“It has become necessary for us to come here and conduct a
physical assessment, especially as we prepare to open new landfill locations in
Badagry, Ikorodu, and Epe,” he said.
Wahab confirmed that the state is fully committed to
shutting down the ageing dump sites.
“We have already declared that both Solous 3 and Olusosun
will be decommissioned, and that process is underway,” he noted. “Within the
next 18 months, the full decommissioning programme will commence.”
He explained that the first stop on their tour was the site
designated for Zoom Lion, the state’s partner on its waste-to-wealth
initiative.
“Part of our agreement is that once operations begin at the
material recovery facility, the decommissioning and capping of the Olusosun
site will start immediately, following global standards,” he added.
A similar process, he said, will be implemented at Solous 3,
necessitating the establishment of alternative facilities in Ikorodu, Epe, and
Badagry to accommodate residual waste.
Wahab also highlighted infrastructural challenges,
especially the deteriorating access roads to Olusosun and Solous 3.
He disclosed that the state has concluded plans to
rehabilitate the routes. While Olusosun already sits on a rigid pavement,
Solous 3 does not, a situation he described as “unacceptable” and in need of
immediate correction.
He cautioned waste operators against indiscriminate parking
of collection trucks, noting that it undermines ongoing improvements.
“This place is clean, and we must maintain order. The
alternative exit route previously used will also be reconsidered to ease
traffic flow until the full decommissioning is completed,” he said.
Addressing concerns that new landfill locations might expose
surrounding communities to long-term environmental dangers, Wahab stressed that
Lagos is transitioning from a linear to an integrated and sustainable waste
management system.
Under the new model, he explained, waste will be treated as
a resource rather than mere refuse. A significant portion will be recycled or
converted into compost fertiliser, while combustible materials will be
channelled to energy-generation partners.
“Only a very small fraction of the waste stream will
eventually reach the landfill,” he assured.
“The new facilities will operate with modern safeguards to
prevent the problems of the past,” he said.
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