NESREA urges plastic sector to subscribe to Extended Producer Responsibility to eradicate pollution

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor said it is mandatory for producers in the plastic and plastic packaging sector to subscribe to the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme, towards eradicating plastic pollution in the country.

Dr. Barikor, spoke through the Assistant Director, Plastic Pollution Control, Engineer Chukwudi who made the statement as officials of the Agency continued a tour of plastic and plastic packaging companies in Lagos under the project, “Accelerating a Circular Plastic Economy to Reduce Plastic Pollution and its Impacts in African Region and its Countries”, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP).

The DG disclosed that the tour which is being carried out in Kano, Lagos and Ogun States, was part of the activities towards the development of an Enforcement Plan for the EPR programme and Plastic Regulations in Nigeria, saying, “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)”.

Dr. Barikor urged producers to support the implementation of the EPR in their respective sectors as a measure to reduce waste in line with circular economy, boost employment opportunities, and promote sustainable environment for all Nigerians.