RIWAMA Don Start Plastic Waste to Wealth Project for Pitakwa.
Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) don start one big campaign for Pitakwa wey go help people collect and to reuse plastic waste, as part of di “100 Million Used Water Sachet Recycling Challenge” wey dem dey carry out under di Clean Rivers Project.
For di launching of di campaign, RIWAMA show about 4,000 used pure water sachets wey dem don recycle and use make throw pillows. Di Sole Administrator of RIWAMA, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, say di project no be only about cleaning dirty. E say di main aim na to change how people dey handle waste and make communities understand say plastic waste fit bring money if dem recycle am well.
According to di agency, research for local markets show say people for Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor alone fit consume up to 50,000 bags of pure water every day, wey mean say millions of individual sachets dey enter di environment regularly. Plenty of these plastics no dey reach waste collection points. Instead, dem dey end up for streets, markets, schools, gutters and water bodies.
Dr. Wokoma say discarded pure-water sachets na among di waste materials wey dey block drainage systems and increase di risk of flooding, especially when heavy rain fall. She explain say di recycling challenge go involve schools, churches, mosques, market groups and communities, so dat people fit work together collect, sort and recycle plastic waste.
She say di project dey promote di idea say waste no always be useless thing. When people collect and recycle plastic instead of throwing am for gutters and roads, dem fit reduce pollution, create small business opportunities and help keep communities clean. RIWAMA therefore call on residents, community leaders and organisations across Rivers State to join di 100 Million Sachet Recycling Challenge.
Di agency say if more people take responsibility for di waste wey dem produce, e fit help reduce blocked drainage, flooding, environmental pollution and some health risks linked to dirty surroundings.