The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has unveiled measures to tackle the increasing problem of plastic waste pollution in Nigeria.
The Director General of the Agency, Dr Innocent Barikor made the announcement on Wednesday while inspecting some plastic companies in Kano.
Barikor, represented by the Head, Plastic Pollution Control, NESREA, Abuja, Mr Chukwudi Nwabuisiaku, said the Federal Government was set to implement the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.
He said that the scheme was a critical strategy to reduce plastic and promote recycling, adding that plastic waste posed environmental degradation due to its non-degradable nature.
Barikor said that although plastics provided significant economic benefits in industries such as packaging, healthcare, and construction, they contained harmful chemicals used in their production.
He said that some of the factors had contributed to increasing plastic pollution, threatening both human health and biodiversity.
Barikor said that in response to the concerns, NESREA had rolled out the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme for plastic packaging and other plastic products.
He revealed that the initiative was supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other development partners, with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
He, however, added that the EPR programme aimed to hold producers accountable for the entire life cycle of their products, including waste management and recycling efforts.
According to him, the new project is titled, “Accelerating a Circular Plastic Economy to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Its Impacts in the African Region.”
“This will enhance the operation and enforcement of Nigeria’s national environmental regulations on plastic waste, focusing on plastic packaging.
“It also aims to create a comprehensive proposal to expand the programme’s scope across the country,” he said.
NAN
