Improper disposal of plastic waste is raising environmental concerns in Lagos, with residents calling for improved waste management and public awareness.

They made the appeal in separate interviews on Thursday in Lagos.

A visit to a school in Iponri showed discarded plastic bottles, nylon bags and other plastic materials blocking a drainage channel near the canal.

A resident of the area, Abdulrasaq Abdulmujeeb, said he often disposed plastic waste indiscriminately whenever he finished the contents.

“When I’m in a public vehicle, I will just throw it outside the window,” he said.

Mr Abdulmujeeb said he did not sort his waste because nobody had taught him about waste sorting.

“I never sort my waste, nobody taught me that one, so I don’t do it,” he said.

He urged the government to sensitise residents to indiscriminate dumping and provide adequate waste disposal facilities across the city.

Another Iponri resident, Esther Nwabueze, said she kept plastic waste until she was going out before taking it along for disposal.

She attributed the dumping of plastic waste in waterways to people’s mindset and the environments where they grew up.

Ms Nwabueze warned that plastic waste dumped in drainage channels could cause blockages, flooding and accidents on major roads.

A shop owner in Iponri, Sani Mohammed, said he disposed of plastic bottles, nylon bags and containers in trash bags or bins.

He said he sometimes reused plastic bottles or gave them to people who collected scrap materials.

Mr Mohammed added that separating plastic waste from food waste made it easier for waste pickers to collect recyclable materials.

Another shop owner in Iponri, Glory Abifarin, said she disposed plastic waste in bins whenever they were available.

She called for better access to disposal facilities to encourage residents and businesses to manage plastic waste properly.

At Cemetery Roundabout in Amukoko, a resident, Daniel Simon, said he usually separated plastic waste from other refuse.

He attributed indiscriminate dumping to inadequate waste bins in public places.

“If streets have waste bins, people will get used to putting their trash inside,” he said.

Another Amukoko resident, Yakub Ali, said his disposal method depended on his location, adding that he hardly separated his waste.

“In my opinion, if I’m walking along and there’s no dustbin, and I need to throw something away, I’ll just drop it,” he said.

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has raised concerns over the environmental impact of increasing plastic use.

Speaking at the Global Recycling Day 2026 programme in Oriade Local Council Development Area, LASEPA General Manager, Babatunde Ajayi, said population growth had strained waste management infrastructure.

Mr Ajayi said changing lifestyles and increased plastic use were adding to the pressure, as many plastic materials take years to decompose.

He said the situation contributed significantly to environmental pollution and climate change.

He advocated recycling, reuse and responsible consumption, urging residents to sort recyclable materials, particularly plastics, and hand them over to recyclers.

President, Association of Scrap and Wastepickers of Lagos, Friday Oku, said indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste was worsening environmental challenges in Lagos.

Mr Oku said plastics dumped on roadsides and in drainage channels could obstruct water flow, thereby increasing the risk of flooding during heavy rainfall.

He said improperly discarded plastics also polluted waterways and could threaten aquatic life.

Mr Oku said reducing plastic pollution required better waste collection, source segregation and increased recovery of recyclable materials before they reached drains and waterways.

He urged residents to take greater responsibility for plastic waste disposal, adding that recycling could turn discarded materials into valuable resources. 

(NAN)