Producers Are Mandated to Embrace Circular Economy with Recycling and Reuse as Fundamentals

Producers Are Mandated to Embrace Circular Economy with Recycling and Reuse as Fundamentals

By: Michael Mike

The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Innocent Barikor has explained that the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPR) has made it mandatory for producers to design products and packaging that can be recycled or reused in line with Circular Economy.

Barikor made the disclosure on Tuesday, while entertaining questions on NESREA Half Hour, an environmental programme by NESREA in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps, that airs on the 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 such products can be recycled, reused, upgraded, repurposed or upcycled.

He said, “If you are producing anything, think of the end-of life of that product, it’s 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.”

Barikor also stated that all producers are mandated to register with the relevant Producer Responsibility Organisation of their product’s sector, adding that here 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 said 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 ensuring that waste pickers and collectors are properly trained and incentivized by the Producer Responsibility Organisations.

Producers Are Mandated to Embrace Circular Economy with Recycling and Reuse as Fundamentals