Communities in Rivers State are grappling with a mounting waste management crisis that endangers the health and environment of its residents.

My recent tour across several local government areas revealed the realities about waste disposal practices and highlighted the urgent need for action to be taken by both residents and the government.

Visiting Okrika Local Government Area exposed the absence of an organized waste management system, which has left the community struggling. Refuse is dumped indiscriminately, creating an unhygienic environment for residents.

Speaking with Mariam Zakari, she lamented desperately calling on the government to come to their aide

“Refuses are dumped everywhere, everywhere is littered with dirty, it’s not hygienic for our health, it is good for us to get a place, the government should give us a dustbin van, so that everybody can have a place that we dump it and they come around and they dispose it for us.

“If it is possible for us to get government attention to come to our community to help us in our domain here where we leave so that we won’t have dirts everywhere around us.

“We pray that the government should help us look into our situation and help us with dustbin van”.

While some residents believe government intervention is key, others, like Emmanuel Israel, a teacher in Okrika, pointed out that the problem also lies with the people.

“If the people are well informed, I don’t think disposing of our waste would be a problem, most persons throw their waste anyhow. If we can educate people on proper waste management, it will benefit the society.”

In Barayira community, Tai Local Government Area, residents like Barisi Paul narrated her approaches to waste disposal by using agricultural waste, such as cassava and yam peels, as manure for their crops.

“We throw away our dirty in the farm, like this cassava peel, or yam peel, even plantain, all of them, we pack them to farm and pour it inside our cassava farm, it’ll be manure and make anything we plan there to grow”.

In the city where I reside, I discovered that even where waste management policies exist, implementation is weak. Several dustbin vans intended for community use are broken down and abandoned, leaving waste to pile up in public spaces.

Additionally, broken sewage systems contribute to the environmental hazards.

Encouragingly, in Lewe community, Gokana Local Government Area, there are traditional practices of waste separation, where biodegradable materials are distinguished from plastics. However, these practices are marred by harmful habits like burning plastics, while they separate biodegradable wastes from plastics, they burn the plastic.

 On discovering this, I informed a few residents about the concept of recycling and emphasized its importance in combating climate change. 

The practice of waste separation showcases the potential for sustainable solutions if properly guided. 

What this tour has underscored is the pressing need for collective responsibility. As the fight against climate change intensifies, there is need to join hands in educating ourselves and especially people living in rural communities on sustainable waste management.

Governments should provide infrastructure, while the people, should embrace better habits to protect the environment.