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The short answer
Waste in Port Harcourt is managed by the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), which works with private service providers and enforces disposal rules, including a 7pm to midnight window for taking refuse to approved receptacles. RIWAMA has not published a household or business levy schedule that we could find, so the amount you owe is whatever an official RIWAMA demand notice for your premises states, and you should pay only through the channel printed on it.
What RIWAMA does
The Rivers State Waste Management Agency is the state body responsible for refuse in Port Harcourt and other urban areas of Rivers. It does three things that affect a household or business directly:
- Collection through service providers. Private service providers carry out evacuation for the agency. In April 2024 the RIWAMA Service Providers Union said Governor Siminalayi Fubara had approved a 40% increase in their monthly payment, effective from the March payment, according to ThisDay. That is the state paying providers; it is not a figure for what residents pay.
- Disposal rules. Residents take refuse to approved receptacles at set times. When the rule was announced in May 2016, the window was 7pm to 12 midnight, and RIWAMA's monitors were told to patrol streets and receptacles (BusinessDay).
- Enforcement. People dumping on road medians or at unauthorised sites were to be arrested and prosecuted under the law that set up the agency (BusinessDay, 2016).
Check the current disposal window with RIWAMA or your local government office: the 7pm to midnight rule is the last one we could source, and times can be revised.
How much is the levy
We could not find a published RIWAMA levy schedule, on an official page or in a news report we could open, for households, shops or other premises. Neither the 2016 nor the 2024 reports gave a fee for residents. So:
- Treat any amount on an official RIWAMA notice for your premises as the figure that applies to you.
- If someone quotes a fee verbally, ask for a written notice that names your property, the period and the amount.
- Businesses that produce more waste, such as eateries, hotels and markets, should expect to be assessed differently from a flat, and should ask for the basis of the assessment.
Steps: paying and checking a demand notice
- Read the notice. It should name RIWAMA, your property or business, the period and the amount.
- Pay only through the channel printed on the notice, and only to an account in the agency's or the state's name.
- Do not pay cash to an individual at the gate unless they show identification and a printed notice, and you get an official receipt.
- Keep receipts year by year. A landlord, new tenant or buyer of a business may ask for them.
- If the notice looks wrong, for example the wrong property or a period already paid, take your receipts to a RIWAMA office and ask for a correction in writing.
Tenants, landlords and businesses
In multi-flat buildings the landlord or caretaker often handles the waste charge for the whole building and passes on a share. Put this in the tenancy agreement so it is clear who pays. Shops and offices are usually billed in their own name, and a business moving into new premises should ask the previous occupier or landlord for the last waste receipts so it does not inherit arrears.
A worked example of sharing a building's charge
Example only; not a RIWAMA rate. A building in D-Line has six flats and receives an annual notice of ₦36,000. Shared equally, each flat pays ₦36,000 ÷ 6 = ₦6,000 a year, or ₦500 a month if the tenant sets it aside monthly. If two flats are larger and the landlord agrees they pay double shares, there are eight shares in all: ₦36,000 ÷ 8 = ₦4,500 per share, so the two larger flats pay ₦9,000 each and the four smaller flats ₦4,500 each. Check: (2 × ₦9,000) + (4 × ₦4,500) = ₦18,000 + ₦18,000 = ₦36,000.
If refuse is not being evacuated
When a receptacle near you overflows or a street has not been cleared, report it to RIWAMA at its office or through your local government council, with the location, the dates and photos. A signed letter from a landlords' or residents' association covering the whole street is harder to ignore than a single call. Keep a copy of what you sent and any reference you are given, and follow up quoting it.
Doing your part on disposal
Bag refuse and take it to an approved receptacle within the permitted hours, or hand it to the service provider serving your area. Do not use cart pushers who cannot tell you where the waste goes: dumping at unauthorised sites is what RIWAMA has prosecuted. For other bills in the city, see our guides to the Port Harcourt Water Corporation and doing business in Rivers State.
Where Pryme fits
RIWAMA payments are not made inside the Pryme app. If your notice names an official account, you can send the payment with Send and keep a verifiable receipt from VerifyDoc.ai as proof for your landlord or the agency.
Questions people ask
How much is RIWAMA waste levy?
RIWAMA has not published a levy schedule that we could find. The amount that applies to you is the one on an official RIWAMA notice for your premises; ask for it in writing.
What time can I dispose refuse in Port Harcourt?
The last rule we could source, announced in May 2016, allowed disposal at approved receptacles from 7pm to 12 midnight. Confirm the current window with RIWAMA or your local government office.
How do I pay RIWAMA bill?
Pay only through the channel printed on the official notice, to an account in the agency's or state's name, and keep the receipt. Avoid paying cash to anyone without identification and a printed notice.
Can RIWAMA arrest me for dumping refuse?
RIWAMA said in 2016 that people dumping on medians or at unauthorised sites would be arrested and prosecuted under the law establishing the agency.
Sources
- Rivers set for crackdown on refuse defaulters, extends disposal time to midnight (BusinessDay, May 2016) · accessed Oct 2026
- Service Providers Assures Rivers of Clean Environment (ThisDay, 19 Apr 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.