The further accumulation of piles of rubbish in parts of Nasinu is now a growing health concern for residents in the area and some are taking action themselves and burning the rubbish in skip bins on the roadside because of the awful stench emanating from it.
Fijivillage has visited Nadera, Nadawa, Tovata, Makoi, Valelevu, Caubati, Narere and Kinoya and found that there has been a further accumulation of uncollected garbage, green waste and white goods compared to our last visit on the 5th of this month.
We also witnessed people burning rubbish in a skip bin in Tuirara due to the stench emanating from it.
[Pile of white goods along Sangam Road in Narere - Date: 18/05/2020]
The situation was deplorable along Pilling Road near Laqere as we saw piles of kitchen waste next to an empty skip bin.
Residents dumped rubbish there despite a notice from the Nasinu Town Council warning them about the $40 spot fine.
The rubbish at this site was also blocking part of Pilling Road.
Special Administrator Baskaran Nair says the Nasinu Town Council has 300 loads of waste to collect.
He says the amount of rubbish is increasing day by day and the large piles are also causing a delay in the collection.
He says as of yesterday, more than 100 tonnes of waste from Nasinu has been transported to Naboro Landfill.
[RFMF Officers cleaning up in Nasinu]
A rubbish collection timeline of 2 weeks had been given by the Nasinu Town Council on the 5th of this month but now Nair says they are planning to complete clearing by the end of this month.
The Special Administrator says they cannot specify or confirm a date they should expect all the rubbish to be collected as the rubbish piles in uncollected areas continue to increase in size and number.
Nair says with the help of the Commissioner Central and RFMF, they have managed to clear half of Navosai which is from the Navosai Roundabout to Onnie Place.
He adds other areas that have been cleared are Muanikoso Housing, Nepani, Ratu Dovi Road, Kings Road, and halfway through Kalokalo Crescent from the Kings Road end.
35 RFMF officers are currently helping with the clean-up in Nasinu.
Nair adds huge piles of rubbish from Narere Stage 1 has also been removed with only a few heaps remaining and will be cleared soon.
Fijivillage has visited these areas and can confirm that piles of rubbish there have started to be collected.
Nair is also requesting residents to refrain from burning rubbish inside the skip bins and that anyone found doing so will be fined under the Litter Act 2008.
He says residents should not pile rubbish around the skip bin when it is full as they are only for kitchen waste, not for green waste or white goods.
Since 20th April this year, the Nasinu Town Council has revised its collection schedule for kitchen waste.
Kitchen waste for Nasinu residents is now collected three times a week.
In July 2018, the Nasinu Town Council started a Pilot Program of 5 days kitchen waste collection in the municipality with a subsidy from the government.
[Pile of rubbish along Omkar Road, Narere - Date:18/05/2020]
The Nasinu Town Council says the program has been costly and not sustainable.
It says an independent JICA team undertook a study of the Nasinu Town Council kitchen waste program in 2019 and concluded that the five times a week collection is a financial burden and not necessary.
The Nasinu Town Council says the study recommended that the council should collect kitchen waste two or three times a week.
It adds that green waste collection would now be done 3 times a year in April, August, and December while white goods will be collected once a year.
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