PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of rapid population growth due to uncontrolled and unplanned urbanization as it affects environmental degradation through solid waste generation in Port Harcourt Metropolis, which has brought about the problem of solid waste management to city authorities and state governmentDesign/methodology/approachThe study involved the administration of questionnaires to 76 different households with a total population of 393 persons giving an average size of 7 persons per household. Also, formal interviews with officials of relevant government departments as wells as private stakeholders in urban solid waste management were conducted. The questionnaires were designed to elicit information on the characteristics of the respondents and waste generation capacity as well as disposal methods. The data abstracted from the questionnaires were analysed using the multiple linear regression to test for the significant differences. The study period was between January 1999 to December 1999FindingsA total of 207.3 tonnes of solid waste was generated giving per capita annual waste generation rate of 0.53 tonnes equivalent to a waste generator rate of 1.45 kg of waste per capita daily. Analysis of solid waste composition was by land use types. The study showed that cartoons accounted for 16.1 percent, while papers and food remnants had 14.4 percent and 26.6 percent of total waste generated respectively.Practical implicationsAssist city dwellers tackle the problem posed by urban waste through provision of adequate infrastructure and social services.Originality/valueThe paper suggests continuous enlightenment programmes as well as employment of good technical services in the management of solid waste rather than the use of political will to tackle the problems. This work is original, as no such analysis has been carried out in Port Harcourt metropolis. The paper has provided data and knowledge upon which further research can be carried out.