Abuja – The National Environmental Standards and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) says it is collaborating with the National Assembly and Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN) for effective implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Programme (EPR).
NESREA’s Director-General, Mr Lawrence Anukam, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the agency had developed guidelines for the start of the programme.
“I also want to express appreciation to the National Assembly; they have shown a lot of political will in making sure that these EPR takes off.
“We are also working closely with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, to make sure that the EPR takes off very well.
“It is a very good programme; and I call on all Nigerians to support it.
“It is going to create wealth; it is going to make our environment cleaner, and at the same time it is going to make the industry, the manufacturer of that product to know exactly how it can create new designs that can last longer.
“New designs that can create less problems on the environment, so it is a win win situation for all involved in it.’’
Anukam said that the collaboration would strengthen and enhance the implementation of the programme.
He stated that the programme is designed to promote the integration of environmental costs of goods throughout their life cycles into the market price of the products.
According to him, the programme will make the manufacturers of products responsible for the entire life-cycle of the commodity especially for their take-back recycling and final disposal.
“What this means is that if I produce an article, I should be able to know about the life cycle of such product, how it is used and how it can be recycled.’’
He said that the programme process would give manufacturers responsibility to know the final stage of any given product manufactured.
The director-general said that most organisations had regulatory provisions for the programme.
Anukam called on the private sector to play a key role in the implementation of the programme.
“So it is necessary that EPR programme comes on board and it needs to be advanced. It is part of the regulations and the law is already there.
“The programme is an initiative that will control waste, it is also an initiative that will generate waste and we all know that waste is wealth.’’ (NAN)
