The study examined the problems of solid waste management in Yenagoa city Bayelsa State. Method of study was the cross sectional survey and proper identification of residential neighourhoods in the city for sampling. The data collection method was the primary and secondary sources. Analytical techniques used include; univariate and bivariate techniques and test of relationship were established between selected variables, such as between household size and the quantity of solid waste generated. The findings of the research were; residents of Yenagoa especially those dwelling in the high density areas pay extra fees to government contractors as well as private waste vendors for waste collection. The study also revealed that the major cause of waste piles on the streets and neighbourhoods apart from the residents’ high population, was the activities itinerant traders who come from the neighbouring Rivers and Delta States to do business in the city. The study revealed that lack of data on volume of domestic waste generated in the city led to the ineffectiveness of the contractors because they cannot match waste generation with evacuation. Most importantly, the study has also shown that there was no blue print or any defined system of solid waste management in the State. The study recommended immediate registration of all scavengers in the city and more youths made to engage in scavenging business as it was the case in Quezon city of the Philippines where the (Vincentian Missionaries, 2002) adopted the same programme to organize scavengers into community based material recovery centers thereby harnessing the waste picking and recycling skills of scavengers into a micro-entrepreneurship programme for youth empowerment. and further skills on safety for environmentally friendly technology of solid waste management. Other recommendations include; short and long term measures to adequately tackle the issue of solid waste management in the city.
