Waste Disposal & Recycling in Nigeria: Collection, E-Waste, Plastics

There is no nationwide bin colour system in Nigeria. Waste collection is organised at state level, so what you put where depends on your state, your area and your collector.

Lagos example. According to LAWMA's FAQ, bins should be put out the night before collection day, placed on the kerbside and visible from both directions; collection times can vary. LAWMA lists the following for the recycling bin:

• clean mixed paper, newspapers, magazines, brochures, leaflets
• clean cardboard
• washed drink cans (aluminium) and washed food cans (steel)
• washed Tetra Paks (milk and juice cartons)
• washed rigid plastic bottles, containers and packaging free from food

Under the Lagos Recycle Initiative, LAWMA has placed recycling bins at markets, malls, schools and other public spaces. According to LAWMA, these bins are intended for recyclables such as PET bottles, aluminium cans and other plastic waste.

Outside Lagos, check with your state's waste agency.

How collection works in Lagos. LAWMA describes itself as the regulator of the waste sector. Since the Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, domestic waste collection, landfill operations and transfer loading stations have been run by private operators under LAWMA's supervision. Household waste is collected by licensed PSP operators (Private Sector Participation). Collection is paid for: LAWMA's FAQ refers residents to online bill payment and says the customer ID is on the invoice or the label on your wheelie bin. Charges are not published as one national or statewide figure.

LAWMA urges residents to use their accredited PSP operator and publishes PSP contacts by area. According to LAWMA, about 1,100 environmental offenders were prosecuted in one year, mostly receiving community service or fines.

Dumpsites. Waste collected in Lagos goes to disposal sites; LAWMA names Olusosun as one of the dumpsites used by its waste disposal trucks.

Recyclers. LAWMA publishes a list of registered recyclers for household collection by local government area.

Abuja (FCT). The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), set up by AEPB Act No. 10 of 1997, is the regulatory body responsible for protecting and managing the FCT environment. For collection days and fees in your district, contact the AEPB.

Other states. Each state has its own agency and rules; ask your state agency or local government where waste can be dropped off.

Electronics (e-waste). According to the National Environmental (Electrical/Electronic Sector) Regulations 2011, manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers must take back end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment and set up collection points. Consumers must return such equipment to these collection points. The regulations also say that e-waste at collection centres must not be put in trash receptacles, at dumpsites or in landfills, and that open burning is prohibited.

In practice, the producer organisation EPRON (E-waste Producer Responsibility Organisation Nigeria, founded in 2018 by electronics producers) runs a buy-back/recovery and recycling programme with accredited collection centres. EPRON publishes a list of collection centres by state (for example Rivers, Abuja/FCT, Ogun and Abia) and offers an online form to request an e-waste pickup.

Batteries. Under the National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations 2024, producers, distributors and importers of portable batteries must take them back at no cost to the end-user and tell customers about this at their points of sale. For industrial and automotive batteries, the seller must take back used batteries within 14 days of notice when supplying new ones. Anyone generating used batteries must hand them to a registered collector or recycler. The regulations define "battery" to include batteries for solar energy devices and inverters. Home solar batteries are therefore covered; ask your installer or supplier about take-back.

Construction and demolition waste (Lagos). LAWMA has a Construction, Demolition and Disaster Waste department and an online CDDW platform for booking licensed collectors. According to LAWMA, it served 343 contravention notices on construction sites in one year for not following the construction waste rules.

Medicines, used oil, textiles, solar panels. We found no official nationwide take-back scheme for households for these items. Ask your pharmacy, your state environmental agency or, for solar panels, the installer or supplier.

Lagos State ban. Lagos banned Styrofoam food packs in 2024 and has fully enforced a ban on certain single-use plastics statewide since 1 July 2025. According to the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the ban covers:

• Styrofoam food packs and all polystyrene (disposable) cups
• plastic straws
• plastic cutlery
• single-use carrier bags and nylon bags thinner than 40 microns

The Ministry has clarified that pure water sachets, PET bottles and carrier bags thicker than 40 microns are not included. Shops found storing or selling banned items can be sealed and the items confiscated. Lagos has also set up a Plastic Waste Management Fund financed by producers and major importers.

National policy. The Federal Ministry of Environment's National Policy on Plastic Waste Management (2020) sets targets such as banning four categories of on-the-go single-use plastics (bags, cutlery, Styrofoam, straws) from January 2025 and phasing out single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam by December 2028. The policy also calls for a nationwide deposit on beverage bottles. These are policy goals, not rules in force: we found no official source confirming that a national deposit-refund scheme for bottles is operating.

• NESREA (Establishment) Act 2007 (Act No. 25): created the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency; the e-waste and battery regulations are made under it.
• National Environmental (Electrical/Electronic Sector) Regulations 2011: extended producer responsibility and take-back for electrical and electronic equipment. Importing end-of-life equipment is banned.
• National Environmental (Battery Control) Regulations 2024: take-back and handling of used batteries, including lead-acid and lithium-ion.
• State laws: household waste is regulated by the states, for example Lagos through the Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 and LAWMA, and the FCT through the AEPB Act 1997.