Food Waste Poses Bigger Health Risk Than Plastic in Lagos Neighbourhoods, Says study

A community-led study by the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) has identified food waste, rather than plastic, as the biggest health risk in Lagos neighbourhoods without formal waste collection. The study, conducted by Rethinking Cities under the ACRC Lagos programme, domiciled at the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (CHSD), University of Lagos, was presented to government, community, and industry stakeholders during a World Cleanup Day event organised by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with ACRC. The event, themed 'From Clean Plates to Clean Cities,' also highlighted the state's efforts to develop community-based waste management solutions. Between April and June 2026, researchers and trained community scientists collected and hand-sorted waste from different locations in Ajegunle-Ikorodu into six material categories, finding that although PET plastic accounted for the largest share by weight, food waste posed a greater health risk.

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