Mosese Raqio 
[Photo: File]
A plastic bottle, an aluminium can or a piece of cardboard may be treated as rubbish, but the Government says Fiji could be throwing away valuable economic opportunities.
Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya has urged Fijians to rethink what they throw away and recognise the value that can be recovered from everyday waste.
Speaking in Parliament, Tabuya says what we call waste can become a resource.
She says Fiji needs to move away from the traditional “take, make, use, throw away” approach and instead focus on reducing, reusing, recovering and recycling materials.
Tabuya says waste management should not simply be about collecting rubbish and burying it.
She says Fiji can build systems that recover materials, create businesses and generate income while also protecting the environment.
The Minister says changing the way Fiji views waste could turn everyday rubbish into an economic resource and create opportunities beyond traditional waste disposal.
The push is for a shift in mindset, from seeing waste as something to get rid of, to recognising what can be recovered, reused and put back into the economy.
