NESREA celebrates circular economy milestone as Coca-Cola launches mega pet recycling hub
The Director General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Dr. Innocent Barikor has hailed the launch of the Coca-Cola System Mega PET Aggregation Hub as a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s transition to a circular economy.
In a chat with newsmen at the launch, Friday in Lagos, Dr. Barikor expressed his delight that significant steps taken by the Agency to provide legal framework for circular economy in the Plastic sector had spurred voluntary compliance among stakeholders.
He said, “I am excited that the various stakeholders’ engagements organized during the development of National Environmental (Plastic Waste Control) Regulations and the National Guidelines for the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme for (Plastic) Packaging in line with circular economy has inspired the producers to be proactive towards voluntary compliance before the regulations become extant.”
Dr. Barikor commended Coca Cola and its subsidiaries, saying, “the hub’s capacity to process 13,000 metric tons of polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), process PET into clean bales, and support recycled PET (rPET) production will deliver tangible benefits to the people of Lagos and its environs as well as engender a sustainable circular economy in an environmentally sound manner in Nigeria.”
Whilst encouraging sector operators to tow the path of voluntary compliance, Dr. Barikor further disclosed that the Agency had commenced the development of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Enforcement Plan to ensure adherence to regulations and penalize non-compliant facilities.
