Waste up 17.5% in a decade: PRF slams lack of strategic action

Building another landfill or continuing piecemeal approaches is not a solution to Fiji’s increasing waste management crisis.

This was stated by Pacific Recycling Foundation’s founder Amitesh Deo, who says that what Fiji needs is accountability, transparency, and a comprehensive waste management strategy that prioritises mindset and behaviour change at all levels.

Deo says the recent Fiji Bureau of Statistics data shows a 17.5 percent increase in Fiji’s waste generation between 2013 and 2023, while population growth rose by only 2.4 percent.

He says this shows that behaviour is not changing, consumption habits continue unchecked, waste is still being treated as an afterthought, and policy alignment remains reactive rather than strategic.

He also adds that recycling need to be entrusted to recyclers, and not use waste management as a self-serving branding exercise.

He says in order to tackle this issue, PRF is preparing for the launch of the Vaka Forum Series, a platform that will bring together stakeholders from tourism, government, municipalities, civil society, and other key sectors to address waste at its root.