NESREA ready to improve waste management practices

The programme, according to the agency, would also lead to improvement in the design of eco-friendly products and reduction in unsustainable consumption and production.
Mrs. Ngeri Benebo, the Director General of NESREA, stated this in Abuja, recently, at the Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility programme in Nigeria.
She added that the concept would promote total life cycle environmental improvements of products systems by extending the responsibilities of the manufacturers of the product to various parts of the product’s life cycle and final disposal of the product.
Benebo noted that the potentials of the programme informed the decision of the government to make the implementation of EPR programme a strong component of the promulgated National Environmental Regulations on food, beverages, tobacco, electrical/electronics, base metal, sanitation and waste control and others.
According to her, NESREA was not interested in the quantity of products that producers and manufactures can produce but on the waste generated on the streets.
“The EPR is an environmental protection strategy with the objective of a decreased total environmental impact from products, including its packaging, by making the producer of the product responsible for the entire life cycle of the product,” she said.
While imploring stakeholders in the environment business to demonstrate commitment to the programme, she said several mechanisms will be applied to achieve the programme such as Tradable Recycling Credit System (TRCS), Deposit Refund System (DRS) and Advance Disposal Fee (ADF) and the consumers role in the programme will be to take back the packages after use to designated collection centre and get their incentives.
 In his remark, Prof. Oladele Osibanjo, the Director of Basel Convention, commended federal government for drafting a working document for the purpose of sound waste management, saying that the programme has the potential to attract research and development.