The Lagos State Government has said it will convert the heaps of waste at Olusosun and Epe landfills to produce energy through composting.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, stated this on Wednesday during a media briefing held at the agency’s headquarters in Ijora Olopa.
He said, “We have a waste-to-energy production facility that will take all the existing waste you see out there including the new ones deposited in drains, it will continue to convert them into compost so that eventually, that heap will go down and new ones will not be added and that is the future of the Olusosun landfill. Waste-to-energy is the way forward and composting for existing wastes so that the heap doesn’t remain there as it is.
“We also have a proponent from the Netherlands to convert and build 1,900 metric-tonnes of the waste-to-energy facility at Epe landfill and that is in its final stages as well. We need to understand that we have received over 90 proposals and we are choosing the facility that is best, sustainable, and financially affordable for the state and residents. Before the end of the year, the process will be completed.”
Odumboni, also said over 1,200 waste-related offenders have been prosecuted by the state.
“No fewer than 83 people were jailed last year for waste-related offenses. Over 1,200 did community services – they joined our sweepers to sweep and do the job and over 3,000 people were fined. But the most important thing, for us, is to ensure we do the right thing.
“For people out there, who continue to migrate and dump waste indiscriminately, any time you are caught, you would be held responsible and would face the wrath of the law. We will ensure that a much more formal, agreeable, and consistent system of waste is introduced into our society,” he added.