EPRON

Today, on World Environment Day, we are reminded that protecting the environment is not the responsibility of a few; it is a responsibility shared by all.

The choices we make every day, how we consume, dispose, recycle, and manage resources, all contribute to the kind of environment we leave behind for future generations.

This World Environment Day, let's continue taking actions that contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable future.

Happy World Environment Day. 🌱

Every month presents another opportunity to make better decisions for our environment. 🌍

The choices we make around waste management, recycling, and responsible disposal have a lasting impact on the communities we live in and the future we are building together.

As we begin this month, let it be a reminder that sustainability is not achieved through one big action, but through consistent responsible actions taken over time.

Here's to a month of greater environmental awareness, responsible practices, and a cleaner future for all.

Happy New Month from Epron ♻️

Small electronic items like batteries, chargers, earphones, USB cables, and power banks are often overlooked and handled carelessly when they stop working.

However, these items can cause serious environmental and health hazards when improperly handled or discarded.

Batteries and power banks can leak toxic chemicals such as lithium, lead, and cadmium, which can contaminate soil and groundwater. When burned, they can release harmful fumes into the air. Faulty chargers and cables can also contribute to unsafe burning practices in informal recycling, releasing dangerous pollutants.

These substances do not disappear, they remain in the environment and affect ecosystems and human health over time.

Are you a Producer in the EEE sector?

This includes Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), importers, distributors, and retailers of electrical and electronic equipment.

Under Nigeria’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, producers play a key role in ensuring that electronic products are properly tracked and managed throughout their lifecycle, including End-of-Life (EoL) stages.

As part of this framework, producers contribute to the system through EPR fees, which are structured based on product market share to support the collection, recycling, and environmentally sound management of e-waste.

If you fall within these categories and are not yet registered, you are encouraged to complete your registration.

Kindly register here: https://blackbox.epron.org.ng

That old phone, broken charger, or unused electronic equipment does not simply disappear the moment you throw it away.

E-waste moves through a system from households/offices to collectors, and recycling facilities. Along the way, what happens to it depends on how and where it is disposed.

Throwing electronics away without thought can lead to improper handling, loss of valuable materials, or disposal in environments where they can cause harm.

Instead of disposing electronics carelessly, consider better options: repair, if possible, reuse when still functional, or ensure they are handed over to proper collection channels for responsible recycling.

Every electronic item has value even after use. What matters is where you allow it to go next.

Not all Used Electronics are permitted imports

The transboundary movement of hazardous waste is regulated under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, an international treaty adopted in 1989 and in force since 1992. The Convention was established to control and reduce the movement of hazardous waste, particularly from developed to developing countries, and to ensure environmentally sound management.

Under the Basel framework, used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is only considered acceptable for cross-border trade if it is fully functional and intended for direct reuse. Non-functional or end-of-life electronics are classified as waste and are subject to strict control procedures, including prior informed consent requirements.

In practice, when Used EEE is imported without proper testing or verification, non-functional units may enter the country. Once identified as non-functional, they are automatically classified as e-waste and become part of the waste management burden.

Certain categories, including Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TVs and monitors, are banned due to the hazardous materials they contain, particularly leaded glass, which poses significant environmental and health risks when improperly managed.

Strengthening inspection, awareness, and compliance at the point of import is essential to prevent avoidable e-waste generation and environmental pressure.

EPRON successfully held its Quarter 2 2026 Board Meeting, bringing together distinguished board members representatives from leading organizations; IHS Nigeria Limited, HPZ Limited, MTN Nigeria, SLOT Systems Limited, SPL Business Solutions, Arnergy Solar Limited and Lucktone Services.

The meeting focused on strategic discussions, organizational progress, and collaborative efforts towards advancing sustainable e-waste management in Nigeria. We appreciate the continued commitment and valuable contributions of our board members towards achieving a cleaner and more sustainable future.

Your drawer… what’s in there?

For many of us, it’s where old electronics quietly end up, chargers that no longer work, earphones with one side gone, dead batteries, outdated phones, and broken remotes.

These items may look harmless because they are out of sight, but they are part of a growing stream of electronic waste.

Many everyday electronic items remain stored away long after they stop working or being used, often without people realizing they are part of the growing e-waste stream. While these items may seem small or harmless, improper storage, disposal, or handling over time can create environmental and safety concerns.

Creating awareness around e-waste starts with recognizing it first because sometimes, the most overlooked e-waste is the one inside our homes and offices.

📍GOOD RECYCLING STARTS WITH PROPER SEGREGATION

Not all waste should be handled the same way.

When e-waste is mixed with general scrap or household waste, the recycling process becomes more difficult from the very beginning.

Devices and components that could have been properly recovered are harder to sort, valuable materials may be lost, and unsafe handling practices become more likely to happen. In many cases, when e-waste is mixed and ends up in dumpsites, it can release harmful substances into the environment, contributing to soil and water contamination and worsening pollution.

Proper segregation helps ensure that e-waste moves through the right recycling channels, where materials can be recovered more efficiently and processed more safely.

Good recycling does not start at the recycling facility alone, it starts from the source through proper segregation

E-waste management in Nigeria does not begin in formal systems, it is largely driven by a network that operates quietly across communities every day.

Informal collectors constitute an integral part of the system, moving from street to street, home to home, ensuring that electronic waste continues to flow. Their work connects households, businesses, and recycling value chains, often filling the gaps where structured systems are limited.

Despite this critical role, much of this activity remains unseen, untracked, and underrepresented within formal systems, highlighting the need for stronger integration that connects informal networks to structured waste management frameworks.

A clear understanding of how the system operates is essential for shaping solutions that do not exclude these existing networks, but rather integrate them into a more inclusive and sustainable e-waste management framework.