Lagos' Path to Cleaner Cities: World Bank’s Vision for Sustainable Waste Solutions

The World Bank’s report on Lagos highlights critical gaps in waste management, recommending extended producer responsibility, increased private investment, and public awareness to curb plastic pollution, improve waste collection, and shift towards a circular economy. This multi-faceted roadmap aims to transform waste from a crisis into an economic opportunity for Lagos.

The World Bank's recent report, supported by PROBLUE and the Sustainable Urban and Regional Development (SURGE) programs, presents a deep analysis of the waste management crisis in Lagos State, Nigeria. This study, led by a team of environmental experts and funded by global initiatives focused on sustainable growth, tackles one of Africa's largest cities' most pressing environmental and health issues. Nigeria, the continent's biggest economy and a regional powerhouse, faces escalating challenges as its rapid urbanization and growing population put immense strain on waste management systems, especially in Lagos. As the second-largest contributor to global ocean plastic pollution after Asia, Africa is predicted to lead the world in mismanaged plastic waste by 2060 if current trends continue. Lagos, a coastal megacity of over 24 million residents, struggles with clogged drainage systems, widespread plastic pollution, and recurrent flooding that harms local communities and marine ecosystems. The report underlines how these issues harm economic growth, public health, and urban development. Flooding alone, caused by plastic waste blocking drainage systems, disrupts daily life, damages infrastructure, and risks lives. In Lagos, plastic waste is visibly present along shorelines and roadsides, emblematic of a broader issue encompassing the city’s lack of adequate waste collection, processing, and disposal facilities.

Budget Shortfalls and Service Gaps

Despite various state and federal policies on solid waste and plastics management, Lagos State faces a funding and resource gap in implementing a fully operational waste management system. LAWMA, the Lagos Waste Management Authority, which oversees waste collection and disposal in the city, currently receives only 2% of the state’s total budget, a figure far below the recommended minimum of 5% for infrastructure-challenged regions. The underfunding of waste management operations contributes to low service levels, with only 33% of the waste generated daily being collected. This gap has led to piles of uncollected waste, particularly in low-income and hard-to-reach neighborhoods, where limited access to waste services results in street littering and waste dumping in rivers and canals. In some parts of the city, informal waste collectors, often lacking the proper resources and infrastructure, attempt to fill this gap. However, without organized support or integration into the broader waste management network, these efforts remain sporadic and inadequate. The World Bank’s report indicates that around 13,000 metric tons of waste are produced daily in Lagos, but the infrastructure is only capable of handling a fraction of this. Without urgent action, the situation is set to worsen as waste generation is projected to increase substantially due to Lagos's continued urban and population growth.

Recommendations for Sustainable Plastic Management

The report highlights several essential policy and technical interventions that could drive improvements in Lagos's waste management sector. A significant recommendation is the establishment of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework, which would shift some of the waste management burdens from the public sector to private producers, particularly those involved in the production and sale of plastics. Implementing an EPR scheme requires accurate tracking of plastic production, and thus the creation of a centralized e-registry is advised. Such a registry would monitor compliance and ensure companies meet waste collection and treatment targets, helping to formalize waste management efforts across the region. Another key recommendation is enhancing Lagos’s recycling capacity, which remains limited. While some companies in Lagos already recycle plastics, the report notes that recycling operations are often constrained by high capital requirements and a lack of access to financing. Encouraging private investment in recycling facilities and establishing partnerships with international funding organizations could address this financial bottleneck. The integration of informal sector workers into the formal waste management framework is also critical, as they constitute a large, yet overlooked, portion of waste collectors and recyclers in Lagos.

Cultural Shifts and Public Awareness for Effective Waste Disposal

Behavioral change is another focal point in the report. Sustainable waste management requires public awareness and involvement, but studies conducted in Lagos show that many residents lack the information or incentive to engage in responsible waste disposal practices. The report, using the COM-B behavioral change model, identifies specific barriers to sustainable waste practices, such as the prevalence of single-use plastic bags and a lack of public waste disposal infrastructure. Addressing these barriers through public awareness campaigns, tax incentives on recyclable materials, and introducing easily accessible waste sorting facilities could reduce plastic pollution and increase recycling rates. The behavioral analysis reveals that many Lagosians view littering as a norm, seeing plastic bags and bottles discarded openly as an acceptable practice, which highlights the need for a cultural shift in waste handling.

Financial Sustainability and the Role of Private Sector Investment

Financial sustainability is another pressing issue in waste management for Lagos. Presently, LAWMA’s activities depend largely on public funding, with limited private sector contributions and low collection rates for waste management fees from residents. To bridge this funding gap, the report recommends increased private sector investment and transparent financial reporting, which could attract more international funding. The current system of public finance mechanisms is proving insufficient to cover the needs of waste management services. Private investors, encouraged through tax incentives and public-private partnerships, could play a significant role in scaling up Lagos’s recycling infrastructure, treatment plants, and collection fleets.

A Roadmap for Long-Term Impact

The roadmap provided in the report includes both short-term and long-term strategies for Lagos State, which focus on a more holistic approach to waste management. These recommendations emphasize infrastructure development, policy reform, and the gradual shift towards a circular economy model, aiming to make Lagos a national leader in sustainable waste management practices. With its comprehensive, multi-faceted plan, the report provides a clear path for Lagos to address its waste crisis, moving from a system of crisis response to one of sustainable management that turns waste into an economic asset rather than a liability.