The Managing Director of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Dr Ibimina Wokoma, has unveiled new strategies to improve waste management and restore Port Harcourt’s Garden City status, calling for greater collaboration from residents.
The agency in a statement said, Wokoma spoke at the 2026 Waste Management Conference, organised by BusinessDay in collaboration with Pioneer Waste Master Ltd, at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
He described waste as more than dirt, noting that discarded materials still have value and can be converted into useful resources.
The RIWAMA boss said the increasing population and human activities in Rivers State had contributed to rising waste generation, stressing the need for residents to adopt responsible waste disposal practices.
“We cannot continue to dump waste on road medians and still expect a Garden City,” he said.
Wokoma disclosed that RIWAMA currently evacuates about 3,000 tonnes of waste daily, comprising 2,000 tonnes from Port Harcourt City and 1,000 tonnes from Obio/Akpor, while overseeing waste management operations across the other 21 local government areas of the state.
He said the agency had restored designated waste receptacles but acknowledged that more were needed to meet residents’ demands.
According to him, the agency is addressing challenges involving residents who claim ownership of government setbacks designated for public infrastructure, adding that more waste receptacles would be provided.
To improve waste collection, Wokoma said RIWAMA was enforcing its Bag Your Waste campaign and had formalised more than 100 door-to-door waste collectors, known as Private Sector Participants (PSPs), to provide collection services at residents’ homes.
He also revealed that an application similar to Bolt had been developed to enable residents request waste collection services on demand. The application is currently undergoing testing.
On waste recycling, the RIWAMA managing director said the agency planned to venture into preliminary waste-to-wealth initiatives by shredding plastics and paper into granules for sale to recycling companies.
He cited the ongoing recovery project targeting 100 million used water sachets as an example of the agency’s efforts to promote waste recovery and recycling.
Wokoma urged residents to support the agency’s initiatives by complying with approved waste disposal hours of 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., properly bagging their waste and ensuring that refuse is deposited only inside designated receptacles.
