Lagos residents complain of poor waste collection despite paying monthly fees as operators demand more money

• Residents across parts of Lagos say waste collection has become unreliable, with some reporting weeks-long delays.

• PSP operators are seeking higher collection fees, citing rising diesel, maintenance and logistics costs.

• Operators have also faced allegations of dumping waste in unauthorised locations instead of designated disposal sites.

Across several Lagos neighbourhoods, frustration is brewing as residents complain that household waste is going uncollected for weeks. The private operators licensed to handle that collection want a pay rise, and some of those same operators, residents allege, have been disposing of waste in unauthorised locations rather than designated sites.

The arrangement at the centre of the complaints involves Private Sector Participants (PSP operators) licensed by the Lagos Waste Management Authority to handle residential and commercial waste collection across the state. Residents pay these operators directly for the service. 

The problem, according to widespread complaints circulating on social media and among Lagos communities, is that collection has become increasingly unreliable, with some households reporting that their waste goes unattended for weeks at a stretch.

What makes the situation harder is what happens to some of that waste when it is eventually moved. PSP operators have been accused of bypassing designated disposal sites and dumping waste in unauthorised locations, including roadsides, drainage channels, and open lots, rather than transporting it to official landfills. 

The practice saves operators time and fuel costs, but it shifts the burden directly onto the communities they are supposed to be serving, turning random corners of the city into informal dumpsites.

Against this backdrop, PSP operators have been pushing for an upward review of the charges they collect from residents, citing rising diesel prices, vehicle maintenance costs and the expense of spare parts. The argument is not entirely without merit; fuel and logistics costs have risen sharply across Nigeria, but it lands badly with residents who feel they are already paying for a service that is not being delivered.

LAWMA reported that it and its network of PSP operators evacuated 418,500 tonnes of waste across Lagos in May 2026 alone, cleared 173 waste black spots, and received 474 complaints and service requests during the same period. 

The managing director attributed operational strain to persistent rainfall and pressure on disposal infrastructure during the rainy season.

But those figures exist alongside the reality of streets that residents describe as perpetually dirty, drains blocked by waste that breeds mosquitoes and raises the risk of disease outbreaks as the rainy season deepens.

The tension is that residents are being asked to pay more for a service that is already underdelivering, by operators who are, in some cases, contributing to the very problem they are contracted to fix. 

Until accountability flows in both directions, from residents who must bag and sort their waste, and from operators who must actually collect and legally dispose of it, the cycle is unlikely to break. LAWMA has not responded to the specific allegations of illegal dumping by PSP operators.

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