Environmental group urges practice of circular economy, EPR
The Association for Environmental impact Assessment of Nigeria (AEIAN), has said that the practice of circular economy and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) would curb the tide of plastic pollution in the country.
Prof. Ijeoma Vincent-Akpu, President of AEIAN, disclosed this in an interview on Saturday in Lagos, that AEIAN believes that the outright ban or increased taxation on Single-Use Plastic (SUP) was not the solution to plastic pollution.
She said that considering the economic and peculiar situations of the country, circular economy and Extending Producer Responsibility (EPR) to the end-of-life of products should be a better and more sustainable approach.
“This will encourage producers or companies to design more sustainable and recyclable products and manufacturing processes.
“Thus reduce the environmental and economic burdens of plastic waste.
“The unfortunate thing is that the government is not looking at circularity, EPR or sustainable development,” Vincent -Akpu said.
According to her, the suspension of the 10 per cent tax on SUP is to ameliorate the negative impacts of the tax adjustments on businesses, with no consideration on the negative impacts of SUP on the environment and the people.
