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WasteSeverity: High

Solid waste in Lagos

Waste volumes in one of Africa's largest cities strain collection systems and dumpsites.

Lagos · Nigeria

01 · The problem

What is happening

Lagos generates very large volumes of solid waste. Much is taken to dumpsites such as Olusosun, one of the largest in Africa, which experienced a major fire in 2018. Waste that is not collected often ends up in drains, canals and the lagoon, worsening flooding and pollution. The state has worked with private sector participation operators and informal collectors, and has piloted recycling and materials recovery initiatives.

High severity. Serious, widespread effects requiring sustained action. Severity is descriptive editorial metadata summarising documented effects. It is not a measured index or a score.

02 · Causes

Why it is happening

  1. 01

    Population growth

    Rapid growth increases waste generation.

  2. 02

    Collection gaps

    Irregular collection in many neighbourhoods leads to dumping and burning.

  3. 03

    Limited engineered disposal

    Dumpsites lack liners and gas management.

03 · Impacts

Who and what it affects

  1. 01

    Dumpsite fires and air pollution

    Burning waste releases smoke and toxic substances.

  2. 02

    Flooding

    Waste blocks drainage channels.

  3. 03

    Marine and lagoon pollution

    Plastic waste reaches the lagoon and ocean.

04 · Solutions

Documented approaches

  1. Formalised collection

    Private sector participation in collection with service standards.

    Expected effectIncreases collection coverage.

  2. Recycling and material recovery

    Buy-back and recycling programmes for plastics and other materials.

    Expected effectReduces waste to dumpsites and supports livelihoods.

  3. Landfill upgrades

    Transition from open dumps to engineered sanitary landfills.

    Expected effectReduces fires, leachate and methane emissions.

Explore an illustrative What-If

05 · Key indicators

What can be measured

No reliable quantitative indicator is included for this issue. TerraLens shows figures only where a credible source supports them — consult the sources below for current data.

06 · Sources

Where this comes from

  1. [1]What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050World Bank · Sept 2018openknowledge.worldbank.org(opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]Lagos State GovernmentLagos State Governmentlagosstate.gov.ng(opens in a new tab)

Links open the publishing organisation's site. Some point to the publisher's main page, where the named report or dataset can be found.

Also in Lagos

Waste elsewhere