The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said it has concluded plans to unveil a digital marketplace for waste transactions.
Assistant Director (Press) in NESREA, Mrs Nwamaka Ejiofor, who stated this in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said this was in keeping with the implementation of the Circular Economy in Nigeria.
She said that the Waste Marketplace Nigeria platform was a collaboration between NESREA and Recyclestack for the digitisation of the circular economy in Nigeria.
Ejiofor explained that the circular economy is operationalised in Nigeria under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programme, which extends the responsibility of a producer throughout the lifecycle of the product.
“EPR is operational in sectors such as food and beverages, batteries, used tyres, and electrical electronics, with Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), recyclers, and collectors playing key roles along the value chain.
“Through the Waste Marketplace Nigeria platform, NESREA plans to enhance digital inclusion and job creation for the informal sector, boost material recovery, reduce illegal dumping and increase the rate of recycling.
“The platform targets to onboard at least 10,000 verified users within the first four months, and by serving as a data mining source in the waste management.
“With this, it will strengthen compliance and enforcement of environmental standards,” she said.
Ejiofor said the project would commence in Lagos and Abuja, with a subsequent rollout in major cities across the country.
The Director-General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor, said that the waste marketplace in Nigeria would provide a transformative opportunity to digitise Nigeria’s waste economy, while enabling regulation, accountability, and economic empowerment. (NAN)