March 05, (THEWILL) — Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA) has concluded plans to partner with E-Terra Technologies Limited and E-Waste Relief Foundation to ensure an environmentally responsible e-waste management system in the state.
This was made known at a meeting with the General Manager of OGEPA, Dr Kehinde Bello and the management of the two partners in Abeokuta, where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to grant the company an initial two-year operational plan.
The discussion at the meeting focused on the firms’ technical capacities within the time-frame to demonstrate their operational standards and environmental compliance in managing e-waste across the state.
Speaking, the General Manager stated that the the main purpose of partnering with E-Terra Technologies Limited was to allow the agency to play a supervisory role in environmental protection and regulatory compliance for e-waste management across the state.
“As regulators, we must ensure that every process adopted is environmentally friendly. Detoxification is not negotiable; it must be central to the entire e-waste management chain”, he noted.
He stressed that OGEPA would issue official letters of introduction to corporate organisations across the State, formally presenting the company as the designated service provider authorised to manage e-waste on behalf of the agency.
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of E-Terra Technologies Limited, Dr Ifeanyi Ochonogor, stated that the partnership was to assist corporate organisations in the state to dispose of waste electronically safely.
“Our objective is to provide a structured system that ensures electronic waste is properly collected, sorted, detoxified and responsibly processed. The two-year period will enable us to fully demonstrate the efficiency and environmental safety of our operations”, he said.
The Director of E-Terra Technologies, Mr Antony Ita, while providing details of the technical work plan, said that all waste collected from companies would be gathered at designated facilities where it would undergo sorting and categorisation.
Ita also added that harmful and hazardous components, including materials containing lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic substances, would be carefully extracted and subjected to proper detoxification and environmentally sound management processes.
“The safety of the environment remains our priority. Hazardous fractions will be properly treated to prevent contamination of soil and water. Materials designated for recycling abroad will be carefully packaged according to international export standards and shipped to our technical partners in France”, he noted.
Earlier, the Programme Manager for E-Waste Relief Foundation, Mr Ebeleme Jeremiah, emphasised the foundation’s role in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and awareness creation, stressing that collaboration with OGEPA would ensure that companies understand their responsibilities under environmental regulations.
