The Return and Earn initiative is progressing well as more than 60,000 recyclable items have been collected in five days since its launch on January 22.
People turn up in numbers at the IYC Park in Lautoka to return cans and bottles for cash.
Lautoka City Council Head of Services Shalend Singh says the Council has collected 60,641 recyclable items since the launch of the programme last week.
He stressed that at this rate, it is estimated around 3.1 million beverage containers could be collected annually in Lautoka for recycling, with approximately $155,000 being paid out to citizens.
Singh notes the Council has so far paid out $3,032.05 to citizens, including Collection Pillars of Recycling (CPRs), formerly known as waste pickers, who engage in informal recycling to earn a living.
He adds that even street dwellers are taking advantage of the Return and Earn initiative, whereby 5 cents is paid for every beverage container.
The Council expresses its gratitude to the Ministry of Local Government and Return and Earn Fiji for this great initiative.
Singh says the Council also wishes to thank the citizens of Lautoka for their strong support, adding that Return and Earn Fiji is a not-for-profit organisation that unifies the collection efforts of eight beverage companies into a nationally coordinated recycling system, partnering with municipal councils to make collections accessible for families and communities.
The eight beverage companies are Carpenters (Fiji) Pte Ltd, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (Fiji) Ltd, Eddie Hin Beverages Pte Ltd, FIJI Water, Frezco Beverages Pte Ltd, Motibhai and Company Ltd, Pacific Island Beverages Pte Ltd, and Pleass Global Ltd.
