The Lagos Waste Management Authority has withdrawn the operating licences of six Private Sector Participation operators across the state following concerns over their capacity to provide effective waste collection services.

The affected operators serve communities in Igbogbo-Baiyeku, Olorunda, Ojo, Orile Agege, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Ojodu, with the Lagos waste management regulator warning that operators unable to meet required standards will face regulatory action.

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LAWMA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, disclosed the development on Tuesday during a management briefing at the Authority’s headquarters in Ijora-Olopa, Lagos.

Gbadegesin said the decision was part of efforts to strengthen the PSP system and ensure that companies entrusted with waste collection have the equipment, capacity and operational ability required to serve their assigned communities.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that every operator serving Lagos residents has the capacity to deliver reliable and efficient waste collection services,” he said.

“Where an operator is unable to meet the required capacity, we will take the necessary regulatory action to protect service delivery and the interests of residents.”

The six affected operators are K-HS Integrated Services, formerly known as Gboleybos Nigeria Limited, in Igbogbo-Baiyeku; Deshasat Enterprises in Olorunda; Bailas Nigeria Company in Ojo; Guestimate Environmental Protection Company in Orile Agege; Evabol Ventures in Ajeromi-Ifelodun; and Korad Closet Empire Limited in Ojodu.

Their affected service locations are Ward C1, Slot A, Abosan in Igbogbo-Baiyeku; Ibereko (LIMCA) in Olorunda; Sabo Oniba in Ojo; Papa Ashafa II in Orile Agege; Oluwa 1 in Ajeromi-Ifelodun; and Oke-Ira/Powerline in Ojodu.

According to LAWMA, the six cases did not all follow the same process. K-HS Integrated Services voluntarily withdrew from its service area, while the licences of the other five operators were terminated following concerns over their service capacity.

The move comes as LAWMA undertakes a broader overhaul of its PSP waste collection structure.

In a recent interview, Gbadegesin said the Authority was moving towards a performance-based system in which operators would be assessed on factors including route coverage, fleet capacity, payment compliance, customer service and overall operational performance.

He said LAWMA had identified 27 routes for restructuring or reallocation as part of the review, while its second-quarter operational assessment recorded 442 active PSP operators.

The objective, he explained, was not simply to maintain a particular number of operators but to ensure that those handling waste collection had the capacity, equipment, financial sustainability and willingness to provide reliable services.

LAWMA’s approach reflects the central role private operators play in Lagos’ waste collection system.

The agency says private sector participation in waste collection and transportation dates back to 1997, when a pilot scheme began in Kosofe and Bariga before the programme was expanded to other parts of the state.

The authority has continued to maintain a directory of PSP operators and their assigned areas, while also using monitoring and performance assessments to determine whether operators are meeting their obligations.

The latest licence withdrawals therefore represent more than isolated disciplinary measures.

They form part of a wider attempt to make waste collection more accountable as Lagos continues to deal with the demands of managing refuse across a densely populated metropolis.

Gbadegesin said the Authority would continue to strengthen performance standards, improve service coverage and enforce regulatory requirements across the PSP system.

He also assured residents in the affected communities that arrangements would be made to ensure that waste collection services continue despite the changes in operators.

LAWMA urged residents to continue using approved waste management channels and to cooperate with authorised operators in their communities.

The Authority’s position is that operators serving Lagos residents must be able to meet the demands of their assigned routes.

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Where they cannot, the latest action suggests that LAWMA is increasingly prepared to withdraw or reallocate those routes rather than allow service gaps to persist.