By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has issued a stern warning to property owners, agents, and private occupiers across Lagos to cease illegal recycling and scavenging activities at unlicensed facilities.
The agency emphasized the need to stop indiscriminate sorting, dumping, storing, and trading of recyclable waste in unauthorized areas.
In a public notice, LAWMA’s Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, stressed the environmental risks posed by such activities, saying, “We cannot allow a few individuals to disrupt our efforts to maintain a cleaner and more livable environment for everyone.”
The notice pointed out that these actions violate the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, which strictly forbids disposing of recyclable waste in unapproved locations.
LAWMA made it clear that violators would face strict penalties, warning, “Anyone found engaging in illegal recycling or scavenging will face strict enforcement measures and penalties as prescribed by law.”
Dr. Gbadegesin also cautioned that property owners permitting unauthorized recycling on their premises risk losing their property rights, adding, “Property owners who permit unauthorised recycling or scavenging activities on their premises risk revocation of property rights and other legal consequences.”
He encouraged stakeholders to only use licensed recycling facilities and registered waste collectors, stressing, “We remain committed to achieving a cleaner and more sustainable Lagos, but we need the cooperation of all residents.”
A joint enforcement team of LAWMA and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) recently disbanded illegal recyclers at the Ijora-Olopa underbridge, part of ongoing efforts to maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward environmental violations.
For inquiries or to report illegal recycling activities, the public can contact LAWMA via its customer service lines or visit their website.
“Let us all work together to achieve a cleaner and healthier Lagos,” Dr. Gbadegesin concluded.
