LAWMA Deploying CCTV Cameras to Hunt Down Illegal Dumpers, says MD

LAWMA Deploying CCTV Cameras to Hunt Down Illegal Dumpers, says MD 

 

The Lagos State Government is stepping up its crackdown on indiscriminate waste disposal, with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) planning to install surveillance cameras at strategic locations across the state to identify and prosecute environmental offenders.

The initiative, alongside a partnership with the Lagos State Command Centre, is designed to strengthen surveillance, deter illegal dumping and ensure stricter compliance with environmental regulations.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this during an interview on Lagos Talks 91.3 FM on Monday, saying the measures would complement the authority’s ongoing enforcement and public awareness campaigns.

According to a statement by LAWMA’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Mukaila Sanusi, Gbadegesin stressed that providing improved waste collection infrastructure alone would not guarantee a cleaner environment without a corresponding change in residents’ attitudes towards waste disposal.

He said sustained enforcement was essential to tackling entrenched practices that undermine environmental sanitation, adding that the planned deployment of LAWMA-owned cameras would enhance the authority’s ability to monitor public spaces and identify offenders for appropriate legal action.

Gbadegesin noted that improved service delivery, public enlightenment and consistent enforcement must go hand in hand to achieve a cleaner Lagos.

He cited feedback from a Mushin resident, Adegboyega, who acknowledged seeing LAWMA’s new compactors operating in the area, as evidence of the importance of visible waste management services in building public confidence.

The LAWMA chief also disclosed that the arrival of 150 new waste trucks would boost waste collection and evacuation across the state.

He said the authority had intensified house-to-house waste collection interventions to address accumulated refuse following the disengagement of underperforming Private Sector Participants (PSPs).

Gbadegesin urged residents to patronise approved waste collection operators, package their refuse properly and report incidents of illegal dumping.

He emphasised that while the government was investing in additional trucks and improved waste management infrastructure, residents also had a responsibility to support the drive for a cleaner environment through responsible disposal practices.

Beyond enforcement and waste collection, the LAWMA boss highlighted the potential of waste-to-energy technology to transform organic waste into useful resources, including electricity, as part of Lagos State’s broader push towards resource recovery and a circular economy.

He disclosed that a State Steering Committee had been established to advance plans for a proposed biogas plant, alongside other initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on conventional waste disposal methods and extracting economic value from refuse.

The authority is also pursuing improvements to waste transfer and resource recovery infrastructure, including Transfer Loading Stations and Material Recovery Facilities, to strengthen waste handling, sorting and recycling across the state.

Gbadegesin reaffirmed LAWMA’s commitment to combining technology-driven surveillance, stricter enforcement, public advocacy and improved service delivery to combat illegal dumping and sustain environmental sanitation.

He maintained that achieving a cleaner Lagos would require a collective effort by the government, waste management operators and residents.