Companies should voluntarily comply with NESREA regulations or face sanctions this year — Zonal director

National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has asked companies to voluntarily comply with the agency’s standards and regulations promptly or face enforcement and possible sanctions this year. The acting Southwest zonal director of NESREA, Mr Elijah Udofia, said this in a chat with Ecoscope over the weekend.

Mr Udofia said that “there is a paradigm shift from linear economy to circular economy where there is zero waste. It is a gradual process.” He stated that the extended producer responsibility (EPR) programme was part of the move towards circular economy, adding that an EPR programme by NESREA was already in place.

“We have been seeing so many alliances towards EPR, especially in the food and beverages sector. The awareness is becoming wider. Companies are gradually moving into this. We are expecting more this year in the area of EPR, and companies will gradually key into the circular economy,” he said.

Udofia explained that circular economy was the trend globally where “your waste is the raw material for another company. So, as much as possible let there be zero waste. That is the message now.”

Speaking further on the agency’s focus for this year, he said that the leadership of NESREA was focused on companies’ compliance with environment standards and regulations.

“The director-general, Professor Aliyu Jauro, is concerned about facility compliance, making sure that they comply with the regulations of the agency. Very soon, you will start seeing enforcement actions from the agency when we have exhausted all possible means to make sure that companies comply. We believe in voluntary compliance, but when we have exhausted all the available opportunities then we will come up with enforcement as we move into the year.”

Apart from about 33 existing regulations for food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, telecoms among other sectors, a new regulation on medical waste is to be expected this year, the acting zonal director hinted.

He explained that there were sector-specific environment regulations that companies were required to comply with statutorily. “We have standards that governs each sector of the regulations. Where facilities fail to comply to these standards, then definitely the agency will take action against it.”

He added that NESREA will continue to create public awareness on the need to make sure the environment is clean and safe “which is to everyone’s benefit.”

Furthermore, he said that the current DG is looking to solve logistics and other challenges in the agency’s offices across the country in order for them to function properly