Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A slick recycling racket that posed a serious threat to public health has been dismantled with the arrest of 15 suspects for allegedly collecting used disposable plastics and plates from refuse bins and reselling them to unsuspecting food vendors across the state. The suspects were apprehended in an intelligence-led operation by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (KAI) around the Jibowu railway corridor on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The operation, which was captured on video and quickly went viral, shows KAI officials patrolling the trash-strewn railway tracks, confronting the scavengers, and loading them into a truck. Mr Wahab explained that the suspects were environmental offenders who collected used disposable plastics and plates from waste dumps and refuse bins before reselling them to food vendors for reuse, a practice that raises serious public health and environmental concerns.
The enforcement exercise is part of the state government's ongoing drive to curb unhygienic waste-scavenging practices, protect food safety, and keep the city's transport corridors clear. The arrests come shortly after KAI and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) launched a massive cleanup and enforcement operation along the Jibowu railway corridor to dismantle shanties and evict illegal occupants who had turned the area into a den of criminality and environmental degradation. However, the discovery that the scavengers were not just collecting waste but also reintroducing it into the food chain has added a new dimension of public health urgency to the clean-up efforts.
The health implications are severe. The resold plates are often made of polystyrene, which contains styrene, a substance the United States Environmental Protection Agency has classified as a possible human carcinogen. When hot food or oily substances are served in these recycled plates, the heat and fat accelerate the leaching of these toxic chemicals into the food, exposing consumers to serious health risks over time, including damage to the central nervous system and reproductive systems. The practice also undermines the state government’s 2025 ban on single-use plastics, which specifically targeted styrofoam food packs, all forms of polystyrene cups, plastic straws, and plastic cutlery. The government had introduced the ban to address the growing environmental issues caused by plastic waste clogging drainage channels and contributing to the yearly floods that paralyze the metropolis.
The 15 suspects, who were taken into custody, are expected to face further investigation and possible prosecution in accordance with Lagos State environmental laws. The Lagos State government reiterated its commitment to maintaining environmental sanitation standards and protecting public health, warning individuals engaged in activities that threaten residents' wellbeing to desist or face legal consequences.
In his statement, Mr. Wahab made it clear that the state has adopted a zero-tolerance stance towards such health risks, using the hashtag #ZeroToleranceLagos to underscore the administration’s resolve. The arrests at Jibowu are the latest example of the state government’s aggressive stance on environmental violations, following similar mass arrests of street beggars and the demolition of illegal shanties across the metropolis. While the 15 suspects remain in custody, their uncovered trade serves as a stark reminder of the hidden dangers lurking in Lagos’s informal waste economy, where discarded trash is repackaged and sold back to the very citizens the state is trying to protect.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com ✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments