The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Innocent Barikor, has urged producers to imbibe the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPR), which makes it mandatory to design products and packaging that can be recycled or reused in line with the circular economy.
A press release from NESREA, signed by Nwamaka Ejiofor, Assistant Director (Press), said the Director General made the appeal while entertaining questions on NESREA Half Hour, an environmental programme by NESREA in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, which airs on National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM, Abuja.
Represented by the Assistant Director, Plastic, Engr. Chukwudi Nwabuisiaku, Prof. Barikor described the circular economy as an economic system where products and packaging are designed to last, and their packaging at post-consumer stage or end-of-life are managed in a manner that allows such products to be recycled, reused, upgraded, or upcycled.
He said, “If you are producing anything, think of the end-of-life of that product, its take-back, and what else it can be used for. Therefore, the responsibility of the producer is extended to the post-consumer stage or end-of-life.”
“All producers are mandated to register with the relevant Producer Responsibility Organisation of their product’s sector,” he added, noting that there are existing PROs in the country for the Food & Beverage, Battery, Electrical and Electronics, and Tyre sectors where the programme has already kicked off.
He pointed out that the Agency was also partnering with a fintech company to strengthen the implementation framework for the formalization of the downstream operators of the value chain, and to ensure that waste pickers and collectors are properly trained and incentivized by the Producer Responsibility Organisations.