Automobile and Touring Club of Nigeria (ATCN), a motorsports non-governmental organisation, has raised awareness on the environmental and health hazards posed by improper disposal of used tyres and called on relevant stakeholders to join in the campaign.
The president of the club, Mr. Ishaku Bamayi, made the call during a two-day progrmme tagged “Applying Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Principles to Automobile Waste: Emphasis on Spent Tyre”.The programme which was organized by ATCN in collaboration with National Environmental Standard and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and Used Tyres Producer Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria(UT-PRON) was implemented under the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) sustainable mobility programme.
Participants were also trained on how to make money from used tyres by converting it to diesel and household furniture.
According to Mr. Bamayi, the training programme aimed at “raising awareness of the hazards posed by improper disposal of used tyres and, promote a circular economy approach via extended producer responsibility (EPR) to the environmentally sound management of used tyres, which in turn will promote environmental quality an aspect of the environmental pillar of the FIA Sustainability Roadmap.
“This awareness campaign will also educate Nigerians on the opportunities available for entrepreneurs to create employment and wealth thereby reducing poverty. In essence, there will be training on the uses of waste tyres to develop materials to enhance your knowledge”, he said.
Engr. Chukwudi, an assistant director, plastic sector in the National Environmental Standards and Regulatory Agency (NESREA) who took the first training session said “the essence of applying EPR is not only to control and manage solid waste but to also engage manufacturers to ensure a policy action on how to re-use spent tyres instead of burning them and polluting the environment”.
Alhaji Ibrahim Umar, president of Association of Erudite Entrepreneurs of Nigeria, applauded the organisers of the event describing it as “timely” adding that, “This advocacy helps us to understand that Tyre burning is a problem in terms of environmental hazards”.
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