Enforcement still at the start line
© fStopImages / Malte Müller
“In Nigeria, we still face major challenges regarding waste management and its negative impacts on people and the environment,” says Miranda Amachree. However, in recent years, the country has been very proactive in improving its waste management systems.
At NESREA, Miranda Amachree was responsible for coordinating environmental regulatory initiatives as well as industrial compliance with national laws, policies, and standards for the environment sector, including the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme in Nigeria. Key regulations impacting the battery sector developed under her leadership include the National Environmental (Sanitation and Wastes Control) Regulations in 2009, the National Environmental (Base Metals, Iron and Steel Manufacturing/Recycling Industries Sector) Regulations in 2011, the National Environmental (Electrical/Electronic Sector) Regulations in 2011, the National Environmental (Motor Vehicle and Miscellaneous Assembly Sector) Regulations in 2013 and the National Policy on Waste Battery Management in 2022.
Recently, Miranda Amachree became the Executive Secretary of the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling (ARBR), the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) for the battery sector under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program. The organization aims to establish environmentally sound recycling of end-of-life batteries. It initially focused on lead-acid batteries, which are used in vehicles, off-grid solar energy and emergency power systems, but has now diversified to finding responsible solutions to lithium-ion batteries as well as other battery types. “We are currently developing guidelines for recyclers to help them follow environmentally sound procedures at every stage of their operations – from collection and transport of end-of-life batteries to storage, dismantling and recycling.”
Building awareness and sensitisation
Improving waste management is a challenging task, as Miranda Amachree makes clear. Here, progress is only achieved in “baby steps”. “It’s very difficult to direct the focus towards this topic when issues such as poverty and food security are clearly at the forefront in Nigeria. If your main concern is putting food on the table, you’re likely to regard environmental problems as a secondary issue. So, we still have a lot to do to build awareness – and that costs money.”
It is not only the public and local communities that need to gain this awareness, the waste management sector, both formal and informal needs this awareness as well. “The informal waste management sector plays a major role in Nigeria and causes widespread pollution. When end-of-life batteries are not properly handled, contaminants are released into the environment, causing adverse effects on public health.” Here, major sensitisation efforts are required so that stakeholders can gain better understanding of the impacts of their activities. However, efforts are also needed to bring the formal and the informal sectors together and connect waste collectors with registered recyclers as a step towards the progressive formalisation of the waste management sector. “At present, there is minimal cooperation here. That’s why, through the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling, we initiate partnerships – by providing support for small-scale battery collectors, for example.”
Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling
Coordination and networking are key tasks for the ARBR. “We have a wide range of stakeholders registered with us – from importers and manufacturers to collectors and recyclers.” The Alliance also works with the government – including Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment and NESREA – and with other sectors such as the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
Miranda Amachree also sees a need for more checks on waste facilities to ensure that they are complying with the required environmental and safety standards.
Unfortunately, enforcement of the existing rules is still at the start line. And many stakeholders in this sector are convinced that their profits will fall if they adopt environmentally sound practices. So, we try to show them that complying with the existing standards pays off in the long term – not only for the environment but also for their own and their neighbours’ health.
In 2023, Miranda Amachree took on the role of Executive Secretary of Nigeria’s Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling. The ARBR is the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) for the battery sector, hence, a coalition of various businesses and stakeholders such as importers, manufacturers, collectors and recyclers. She took on this role after retiring from her position as Director of Inspection & Enforcement at Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency. Here, she coordinated the development of environmental regulations for the industry and service sectors of the economy, as well as the implementation of the Extended Producers Responsibility program for the three largest waste streams: batteries, plastics, and electrical and electronic waste.
Further information
Press release – Battery recycling: cooperation between Nigeria and Germany launched
