LAGOS, ABUJA: CITIES LITTERED WITH REFUSE—11

The authorities should seriously address issues of waste management

· Continued from yesterday

Globally, the volume of municipal solid waste is growing at an unprecedented rate. Yet many countries still lack the systems and resources to manage this waste safely. Sadly, Nigeria is one of those countries. Despite being conceived as a model capital that would be rid of most of the challenges associated with Lagos, many streets in the FCT are today littered with waste. From suburbs like Nyanya, Karu and Kubwa to areas like Wuse, Utako, Garki and Jabi that are within the metropolis, mountains of debris litter everywhere.

In its December 2025 report, ‘Throwing away our health: the impacts of solid waste on human health—evidence, knowledge gaps and health sector response’ the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that poorly managed solid waste is driving a public health crisis and calls for urgent action to protect people and the environments they live in. “Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, WHO Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration. “If we continue to treat waste as an afterthought, we will lock in avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities. This report is a clear call to put health and equity at the centre of how we design, manage and ultimately reduce waste.”

The report summarises evidence on how solid waste – especially municipal solid waste – affects health through polluted air, water, soil, and food. When waste is not collected, or is dumped, burned or not poorly treated, it can release hazardous chemicals, contaminate drinking-water sources,and create breeding grounds for insects and rodents. Communities underserved by waste management services, those living near dumpsites and poorly managed landfills and incinerators, children and pregnant women, as well as waste workers – particularly those working informally – face the greatest risks.

For the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) community, the report underlines that safe management of municipal and health care waste is integral to safely managed, climate-resilient systems. A large share of municipal solid waste is still not collected or is disposed of in uncontrolled conditions, including open dumpsites and open burning. These practices damage ecosystems, contribute to climate change and undermine efforts to build healthy cities.

When waste is properly managed, however, it can become a resource – generating energy and creating green jobs. The report calls for a coordinated, multisectoral response grounded in the waste hierarchy: preventing waste where possible, then reducing, reusing and recycling, with safe recovery and disposal. Key actions for governments and partners include reducing waste generation at source; expanding affordable and reliable waste collection services, especially in underserved communities; improving control at recovery and disposal facilities; and eliminating open dumping and burning, including hazardous waste.

The new report identifies a central role for the health sector in addressing solid waste as a public health threat. The health sector can prevent and minimise health-care waste at source, improve segregation and safe treatment, invest in cleaner climate-resilient technologies, and advocate for health-protective policies and standards. It also encourages more surveillance, research and biomonitoring to strengthen the evidence base, and promotes social protection and inclusion of informal waste workers.

In most jurisdictions waste is no longer seen solely as refuse but as a resource of economic value, with recycling initiatives that lead to the creation of employment opportunities, encourage private sector participation, and contribute to environmental protection. Along this line, many have advocated adopting a circular economy approach to waste management, in which materials are recovered, reused, and recycled. This can offer significant economic and business opportunities while reducing environmental impact. But for now, authorities in both Lagos and Abuja must do something about the current situation.