It’s no longer news that everyday, Lagos State produces more than 13,000 tonnes of waste. We see plastic bottles float in flooded drains, tyres pile up by the roadside, and landfills overflow at alarming rates.
While social enterprises like Planet Pulse Media and other active field nonprofits are educating the masses on environmental cleanliness, the state government is also putting great efforts in achieving waste reduction.
At the recently concluded Lagos International Climate Change Summit (LICCS) 2025, the government, led by Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, signed three strategic agreements with private investors to recycle plastics and old tyres.
At the Summit themed “Blue Economy, Green Money – Financing Africa’s Coastal Resilience and Ocean Innovation”, Wahab said the city was taking a bold step toward solving its waste crisis, not by dumping more, but by turning garbage into gold.
The move marks a major shift in how the state thinks about waste, from something to be discarded to something with economic value.
“We are moving away from the old ‘pick and dump’ system to a sustainable one where waste becomes wealth,” said Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources.
“These partnerships open a new chapter in our effort to reduce waste and protect the environment.”
Waste and Population
With over 20 million people living in Lagos, the waste problem has grown beyond the capacity of traditional management systems.
Plastic alone makes up more than 15% of the city’s waste, and only a small fraction is ever recycled, less than 10% actually.
What doesn’t get reused ends up in drains, lagoons, or on the streets, worsening flooding and pollution. It’s a cycle that Lagos is determined to break.
Three Deals Signed at 11th LICCS
The new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed at the summit lay out a plan to recover, recycle, and repurpose waste that would otherwise choke the city.
1. HAK Waste Ltd (Building a Plastic Circular System)
The first agreement focuses on creating a circular recycling system for beverage bottles. It will run on a deposit refund model, where consumers get a rebate for returning empty bottles.
The system is based on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy, which makes manufacturers accountable for what happens to their products after use.
According to Wahab, “This reflects investor confidence in our policy and helps build a stronger packaging recovery ecosystem.”
2. Haggai Logistics Ltd (From Tyres to New Life)
Discarded tyres are one of Lagos’ most persistent eyesores, often burned illegally, releasing toxic fumes into the air.
Under the new agreement, Haggai Logistics will establish the state’s first fully automated tyre recycling plant, turning old rubber into reusable materials and drastically reducing environmental hazards.
3. Mondo 4 Africa (Fuel From Plastic Waste)
We understand that it is not all plastics that can be recycled. Some end up in landfills or waterways, taking hundreds of years to break down.
That’s where Mondo 4 Africa comes in. The company signed that it will convert non-recyclable plastics into sustainable fuel and other valuable resources using advanced, eco-friendly technologies.
There is a fourth company. Proganics Limited. Theirs will be to process organic waste into high-protein material through biotechnology.
In all, these partnerships and innovation could result to a much cleaner environment for Lagos State, and a new source of green energy as well.
Other Stories from the LICCS 2025
The event which lasted for two days, between November 6 and 7, 2025 at the Lagos Continental in Victoria Island, saw the Crème de la crème of environmental matters present to dicuss the Blue Economy.
The Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu delivered a speech of how Lagos is fighting the ills of climate change and safeguarding its people from flooding and other environmental disasters.
Key initiatives highlighted by the governor included the expansion of the Great Wall of Lagos/Eko Atlantic City, the development of the Omi Eko low-carbon water transport network, and the upcoming launch of Lagos’ first green bond as a subnational government.
“Everything Lagos builds must be ocean-powered,” said Gov Sanwo-Olu, who repeatedly reiterated that the state is surrounded by water.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, who was represented by the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Mobereola, praised Lagos for always taking the lead in environmental matters.
He also called on other states to not just learn from Lagos but collaborate with the commercial city to fight the effects of climate change across the country.
In another session by Taiwo Ajetunmobi, a member of the investment management team of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, spoke on behalf of the Director-General, and hammered on alignment among stakeholders.
He spoke on the theme, “Aligning State, Federal, and Global Climate Strategies to unlock Private Capital for Nigeria’s Blue Economy”, where he
“At the Federal level, Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, the Blue Economy Policy Framework, and the Presidential Initiative on Climate Action are clear statements of intent. At the State level, Lagos is developing innovative water transport systems, coastal protection programmes, and waste-to-energy initiatives.
“Alignment remains the missing link. Investors – whether in Beijing, Dubai, or London – look for three things: policy coherence, regulatory predictability, and project bankability. If we align these across tiers of government, we can unlock billions in private and blended capital for Lagos State’ Blue Economy and Climate Resilient infrastructure development programmes,” he said.
The summit went on to feature several breakout and panel sessions with global experts.
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