PRF welcomes the United Nations declaration on clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a universal human right - Deo

For such a beautiful country, it is a shame to see rubbish littering the surrounds or being dumped indiscriminately because people are not aware or don’t care about the implications of that waste – should it find its way into waterways and ultimately, the ocean.

These are the comments of Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited Director/Chief Executive Officer and Pacific Recycling Foundation Founder, Amitesh Deo following the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration that access to clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a universal human right.

Deo says this is historic and comes at a critical juncture in terms of climate change and its impact in our country and on the planet.

The declaration calls upon States, international organizations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all and the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, welcomed the historic decision and said the landmark development demonstrates that Member States can come together in the collective fight against the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Deo says they welcome and embrace whole-heartedly the comments by the UN Secretary General that the resolution will help reduce environmental injustices, close protection gaps and empower people, especially those that are in vulnerable situations, including environmental human rights defenders, children, youth, women and indigenous people. Deo says this declaration is a game changer because it now gives every Member State of the UN, some ‘teeth’ in terms of being able to ramp up their efforts in all facets of the environment.

PRF also thanked Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama for being a climate champion and Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum for being our Oceans Champion which are important advancements in the areas of environmental rights for a small island nation like ours.

Deo says now the onus shifts to every Fijian and every person who calls Fiji home to take up the fight and to become champions in their individual settings.

He says parents can bring the discussion of good waste management into their homes by beginning with the way waste is sorted prior to being placed in the bin.

The CEO says they can develop compost heaps and only place waste that is not biodegradable into the rubbish bin.

He says plastic PET bottles and cans can be separated and taken to companies like Waste Recyclers Fiji Ltd.

Deo further says the UN declaration is far-reaching and could also extend to people involved in the waste recycling business – from Community Pillars for Recycling right through to council workers who worked at dump sites and landfills and every actor in-between.

He says they have been working with our CPRs (formerly informal waste pickers) for the past 28 years and they are very aware of the challenges they face on a daily basis – from the stigmatization to the name-calling to being looked down upon by the very people who are creating the waste these individuals sort through every day.