The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), in partnership with Health Environment and You, has flagged off a statewide mass literacy programme as part of the 100 Million Used Water Sachet Recycling Challenge under the Clean Rivers Initiative.
The programme is aimed at raising public awareness on proper waste disposal, promoting recycling and encouraging greater community participation in efforts to keep Rivers State clean, healthy and free from flooding.
The Clean Rivers Initiative Project team said local market surveys indicate that Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas consume an estimated 50,000 bags of sachet water daily, with each bag containing 20 sachets, translating to about one million sachets every day.
It said the figure was a conservative estimate, considering the combined population of the two LGAs and the national average consumption of more than 60 million sachets daily.
According to the project team, a large proportion of used sachets are not recovered and eventually end up on streets, in markets, schools, drainages and waterways.
Speaking during the unveiling of 4,000 used sachets reused and recycled into throw pillows, the Managing Director of RIWAMA, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, said the initiative was designed to change public attitudes towards waste management and strengthen community participation.
Wokoma noted that discarded water sachets constitute a significant portion of waste clogging drainages in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and other parts of the state.
He said the recycling challenge would mobilise schools, markets, churches and community groups to collect and properly recycle used sachets.
“This is not just about evacuating waste. It is about building a culture of responsibility. When citizens understand that their waste is a resource and that blocked drainages cause flooding and disease, we will achieve a cleaner Rivers State,” Wokoma said.
RIWAMA urged residents, community leaders and other stakeholders across the state to participate in the 100 Million Used Water Sachet Recycling Challenge and support the mass literacy campaign.
The agency said the initiative is expected to contribute to a cleaner, healthier, more resourceful and flood-free Rivers State.
