Behaviour‑led pathways to resilient urban waste systems: a policy comparison of Lagos and London

Urban waste behaviour plays a decisive role in shaping the performance and resilience of municipal waste systems. This policy-focused comparative study examines Lagos (Nigeria) and London (United Kingdom), two global cities with contrasting governance structures, infrastructural capacities, and climate vulnerabilities. Drawing on a mixed-methods analysis of policy documents, waste statistics, and secondary city-level data, the study explores how household behaviours interact with governance arrangements to influence climate risks, particularly flooding and greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term system resilience. Findings show that while London benefits from decentralised service provision and established recycling infrastructure, behavioural inconsistencies and reliance on energy‑from‑waste constrain its circularity ambitions. In Lagos, infrastructural deficits and weak enforcement limit proper disposal, yet a highly active informal sector provides adaptive capacity that formal institutions have not harnessed. The paper identifies policy levers (improved service design, actor integration and data transparency) that can strengthen the resilience of urban waste systems in diverse contexts.