The Lagos State government has concluded plans to decommission the Olusosun and Solous 3 landfills in 15 months.

The Commissioner, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, Tokunbo Wahab explained that the motion is in top gear to achieve the decommissioning.

The Olusosun Nigerian dumpsite is a 100-acre dump in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria.

It is the largest in Africa and one of the largest in the world. The site receives up to 10,000 tons of rubbish each day. Waste from around 500 container ships is also delivered to the site, adding a substantial portion of electronic waste. Some of this material is treated with chemicals to extract reusable products resulting in toxic fumes being released.

Around 500 homes exist at the site in shanty towns, occupied by residents who work at the dump scavenging for scrap to sell.

Soluos landfills are located at the extreme east-west area of metropolitan Lagos in Alimosho Local Government.

The commissioner while making the plans known on his X handle states that:

Landfill Closure and Transition to Sustainable Processing Within the next 15 months, the Lagos State Government will:

• Decommission Olusosun and Solous 3 landfills, transitioning them into modern
Transfer Loading Stations (TLS) where waste will be sorted, compacted, and
redirected to recycling and recovery facilities.

• Establish new Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in Ikorodu and Badagry, in partnership with Jospong Group (ZoomLion Nigeria), to maximize resource
recovery and reduce landfill waste.

It is important to note that the plan to close these landfills is the next step in a
broader waste management initiative introduced at the start of this administration’s THEMES agenda.

These steps will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and align
Lagos with global best practices in waste management.