Lagos residents risk prosecution for refusing to pay waste fees – Commissioner

The Lagos State Government has warned residents who fail to pay for waste management services rendered by Private Sector Participation operators that they could face criminal sanctions.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this during a radio programme on Friday while discussing the gains and challenges of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in the state.

Wahab said the government was reviewing the waste management system and would introduce measures to ensure residents paid for services provided by PSP operators.

He said, “All over the world, the standard policy for waste management is the ‘polluter-pays-principle’. But here in Lagos, some of our people want to free-ride the system and have therefore chosen not to pay for the services rendered by PSP operators.

“All of these have adverse effects on the waste management system. However, we are now rejigging the system, and going forward, failure to pay for waste management services rendered will constitute a criminal offence.”

The commissioner spoke as the state government continued efforts to address challenges affecting waste collection, transportation and disposal across Lagos.

He said the government had identified shortcomings since the resumption of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise and was working to address them.

“Since we started the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, we, as a government, have identified some shortcomings on our part, and we are confronting them head-on,” he said.

Wahab had earlier disclosed that the government was strengthening the regulation of PSP operators while working with waste managers to resolve challenges affecting the sector.

At a meeting with members of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria on Thursday, he said the state was reviewing the financial sustainability of PSP operations, including cost recovery and possible adjustments to ensure operators could deliver efficient services.

He, however, stressed that improved financial arrangements must be matched by transparency, accountability and quality service delivery.

“No PSP operator should use the challenges at the dumpsites or other operational difficulties as an excuse for failing to provide the required services to residents,” Wahab said.

The commissioner also called on waste managers to meet their contractual obligations, maintain their fleets and provide consistent waste collection services within their assigned areas.

The government has also been working to improve disposal facilities, with ongoing interventions at the Solous dumpsite in Igando aimed at reducing pressure on other disposal locations and improving the turnaround time for waste trucks.

Wahab said effective enforcement would be necessary to ensure that residents patronised designated PSP operators and avoided indiscriminate disposal of waste on roads and other unauthorised locations.

The state government has intensified environmental enforcement in recent months. In May, it said 931 people had been apprehended for waste management offences, while 239 facilities were sealed following monitoring and compliance operations.

The latest warning comes as Lagos prepares for another monthly environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday, August 29, 2026. The government said it was strengthening collaboration with waste managers to address operational challenges and improve the efficiency of waste collection across the state.