ÐThe Lagos Waste Management Authority has defended the recent hike in waste collection bills in the Adewunmi Adu area of Abule Egba, Lagos.
This follows complaints made by some shop owners and residents in the area earlier this week that their monthly bills were allegedly raised arbitrarily by the Private Sector Participation operator servicing the area.
It was gathered that some residents were paying between N800 and N1,000 monthly, but would now be paying an additional 50 per cent from July, based on the notice served to them by the PSP operator.
A shop owner, Mutiyat Alimi, said she operated two shops and used to get N750 bills like other people, which made her pay N1,500 monthly.
Alimi, however, lamented that she recently received a bill of N15,000, which was only reduced to N13,000 after lodging an official complaint.
The LAWMA officer in charge of PSP operators, Dr Tunde Semanta, told The PUNCH after making findings on the customer’s complaints, on Wednesday, that the increment was an agreement between the service providers and the residents through their Community Development Association.
He stated further that commercial operators like shop owners have their bills determined by the nature of waste they generate and not the size of the waste, unlike what is obtainable for domestic residents.
Semanta also alleged that some workers of the PSP operators were surcharging the customers by collecting extra money and not remitting the same to their employers, making the customers unaware of the official amount they ought to be paying.
Semata said, “We found out that the volume of waste being picked was not commensurate with the amounts being charged. The staff were underreporting collections and keeping part of the money. This was affecting the business and the sustainability of waste management operations.
“Following an internal review and the dismissal of the implicated staff, the company conducted a comprehensive assessment of its operations. The findings indicated that the previous rate of N1,000 was grossly inadequate, given the high frequency and volume of waste collection required for such businesses.
“Subsequently, the tariff was reviewed upwards to N15,000 per month. After negotiations with affected clients, including the owner of a major cold store, the rate was discounted to N13,000, effective June 1, 2025.”
LAWMA maintained that the new tariff reflected the true cost of efficient and sustainable waste management in the state.
“There is no client within that area receiving such services for N1,000. The new rate was agreed upon after both parties reviewed the volume of waste and the frequency of collection,” he said.
He emphasised that the hike was not arbitrary but necessary to ensure proper service delivery and to prevent a recurrence of past abuses.
He advised the residents and business owners to report any irregularities in waste collection charges to LAWMA for prompt action.
Semanta also urged residents to make use of proper containers to keep their waste.
“So we preach the culture of containerisation all around. That will curtail people dumping waste in bags or sacks on the median,” he said.
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