The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) recycled 405.17 tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) in Lagos State in 2025.
The Managing Director of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with reporters in Lagos.
E-waste refers to any discarded, broken, or obsolete electrical or electronic devices. It includes a wide range of items — from laptops, mobile phones, and batteries to household appliances such as refrigerators and televisions.
It is classified as hazardous waste due to toxic components like lead and mercury, and it is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally.
Gbadegesin said the 2025 figure was higher than the 355.15 tonnes recycled in 2024. He added that 305.63 tonnes were collected in 2023, indicating a steady increase in formal recycling.
He said the Lagos State Government had intensified advocacy and established structures to promote safe e-waste management across the state.
“The government is doing its best to promote safe handling of e-waste in Lagos State. It recognized the importance of managing e-waste and set up an e-Waste Unit to coordinate its management. The Lagos State Government has also increased advocacy and awareness on safe e-waste handling and has certified recycling companies and collection centres,” Gbadegesin said.
According to him, e-waste management in the state is handled through 17 certified recycling companies and approved collection centres. The agency directs e-waste to these certified recycles to ensure safe handling and disposal.
Gbadegesin noted that LAWMA’s e-waste unit regulates the sector by formalizing informal operators, enforcing compliance, and creating awareness about the hazardous nature of e-waste.
However, some environmentalists and another government agency raised concerns about how e-waste is currently handled and disposed of in the state.
Speaking on the issue, Dr Leslie Adogame, Executive Director of Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADeV), called for urgent and holistic action to address the growing e-waste challenge.
Adogame described e-waste as highly hazardous, containing toxic substances such as arsenic, which pose serious health risks, especially to children and women.
He stressed the need for safe collection, transportation, recycling, and disposal systems, noting that current efforts remain inadequate across the value chain.
“E-waste begins at the household level, so awareness must start from homes, not just within the informal recycling sector,” he said.
Adogame noted that public awareness of e-waste dangers lags behind that of plastic waste, leading to poor disposal practices and increased environmental risks. He also pointed to a gap in recycling capacity, as Lagos has limited registered recycles relative to the volume of waste generated.
The SRADeV director emphasized the need to strengthen the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework and expand its implementation nationwide. He added that poor waste segregation results in mixed waste streams, making recycling inefficient and overwhelming existing facilities.
“There is a need for dedicated bins and structured sorting systems to support recycles,” he said.
Adogame identified weak collection systems, inadequate infrastructure, and low public awareness as major challenges affecting effective e-waste management. He also highlighted underfunding of the environmental sector as a barrier to sustained advocacy and intervention.
Similarly, Mrs Adedayo Adebayo, Director in charge of e-waste at the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), said awareness creation from the point of collection is critical to effective e-waste management.
Adebayo noted that the state has about 30 registered collectors and a few recycles being integrated into a structured value chain. She said LASEPA works with Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives and other regulators to ensure proper handling of e-waste.
According to her, LASEPA monitors corporate organizations, assesses their waste streams, and directs them to certified collectors. She added that indiscriminate disposal is prohibited, while operators are registered and guided with standard procedures.
The director said the agency also conducts environmental monitoring, including water, air, and soil sampling around operational sites. She stressed that open burning of waste is banned due to the hazardous substances released into the environment.
Adebayo disclosed that LASEPA collaborates with relevant ministries to organize informal operators into cooperatives and strengthen enforcement.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, Mr Philip Jakpor, said awareness of proper e-waste disposal remains insufficient in Lagos.
Jakpor noted that many residents still store obsolete electronics at home or burn them, exposing themselves to toxic pollution. He identified poverty as a key driver, as many people rely on second-hand electronics without understanding the associated health risks.
“Poverty is a critical factor in the proliferation of e-waste in our environment. This is because some products, such as televisions, old computers, and phones, are patronized by those who cannot afford new ones due to their high costs. Most do not know that they are exposing themselves to emissions from these products because they have reached their end-of-life stage,” Jakpor said.
The President of the Association of Scrap and Wastepickers of Lagos, Mr Friday Oku, said the current system of e-waste handling relies heavily on informal activities with limited formal support.
Oku noted that informal collectors often use unsafe methods such as burning and dismantling to extract valuable materials, causing environmental damage.
He urged authorities to formalize, train, and equip waste pickers with protective gear and safe recycling tools. He also recommended the establishment of collection hubs in major markets and stricter enforcement of Extended Producer Responsibility.
