Residents of the Ajao Estate community in Lagos have rejected a planned increase in monthly waste collection charges, accusing their waste management service provider of failing to deliver consistent refuse evacuation despite collecting existing fees.
Residents said the new charges came as a surprise after notices announcing the increase were pasted on their doors, even though waste had reportedly gone uncollected for weeks at a time over the past several months.
Chairman of the Ajao Estate Community Development Association, Olu Isijola, said residents had continued to pay the current waste collection fees despite what he described as irregular service delivery. He alleged that refuse trucks sometimes failed to visit the estate for one or two weeks before eventually returning with explanations about operational challenges.
The residents argued that increasing charges without first addressing the quality of service was unfair and called on the service provider to improve waste evacuation before implementing any new tariff.
However, the waste management company, in the notice issued to residents, acknowledged disruptions in refuse collection and attributed the situation to challenges affecting waste disposal infrastructure across Lagos.
The disagreement comes amid growing concerns over waste management in Lagos, where experts have warned that persistent refuse accumulation, especially during the rainy season, could increase public health risks if not promptly addressed.
