NESREA Moves to Integrate Informal Waste Workers into EPR System
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has unveiled a cooperative-led strategy aimed at integrating informal waste workers into Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system.
Speaking during a virtual stakeholder sensitization programme, Director General of NESREA, Innocent Barikor, said the initiative is designed to formalize the activities of waste collectors, sorters, and recyclers by organizing them into cooperatives.
According to him, the model will provide informal waste workers with legal identity, digital inclusion, access to financing, social protection, and environmental compliance support, while strengthening Nigeria’s circular economy and environmental data systems.
Chief Steward of the Nigeria Environmental Stewardship Cooperative Society (NESCOOP), Dr. Peter Ayim, described the framework as a pathway to a more inclusive and scalable circular economy. He noted that the model addresses major challenges faced by informal waste workers, including poor recognition, economic vulnerability, and occupational health risks.
Dr. Ayim cited countries such as Brazil, Colombia, India, and South Africa as examples where cooperative-led EPR systems have successfully improved environmental sustainability and economic inclusion.
Stakeholders at the meeting included the Recyclers Association of Nigeria, Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance, E-Waste Producers Responsibility Organization of Nigeria, and Rural Women Energy Security.
