Nigerian plastic manufacturers have been reminded by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) that their participation in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme is mandatory to bolster government initiatives to address the country’s plastic waste pollution crisis.
Dr. Innocent Barikor, Director General of NESREA, who reinforced the call during an inspection of some plastic and packaging companies in Lagos, stated that the visit was part of the agency’s grand plan to gather information on how to best develop a regulatory framework that would be used to implement the EPR initiative throughout the country.
Nigeria is currently implementing a project with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to explore how to use the circular economy concept to reduce plastic pollution and its impacts in Africa, which the EPR is a key component of.
“We want to assess stakeholders’ understanding of the EPR implementation, get firsthand information on plastic pollution management strategies in the respective states, and evaluate plastic packaging producers’ knowledge of their obligations, including the formation and subscription to Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs),” the DG, who was represented by Chukwudi Nwabuisiaku, NESREA’s Assistant Director, Plastics Pollution Control, said.
He urged the different producers to help implement the EPR in their sectors in order to expedite the nation’s goals of leveraging the circular economy approach to address the waste pollution crisis, increase job opportunities, and advance a sustainable environment for all Nigerians.
By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja