Riya Mala 
[Photo: File]
Fijians are already receiving cash for returning their empty plastic bottles and cans.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya says the system works on a simple principle: people return their containers and get their deposit back.
She says this will give people a financial reason to collect and return bottles and cans instead of throwing them away.
Tabuya says the system could help reduce litter on roads, in drains, rivers, beaches and other public areas.
She says bottles, cans, glass and cardboard should not automatically be treated as rubbish because many of these materials have value and can be recycled.
“Many of these materials have economic value. What we call waste can become a resource. And that creates an opportunity. Instead of spending money simply collecting and burying waste, we can create systems that recover materials, create businesses, generate income, and protect our environment at the same time”
The Government is developing the container deposit regulations in consultation with industry.
Tabuya says the system could also create new opportunities for recyclers, collection businesses, young people, community groups and families.
She says they want to turn waste into value and recycling into an opportunity.
The Minister says the initiative is part of Fiji’s wider plan to move from a throwaway economy to a circular economy, where materials are reduced, reused, recovered and recycled.
She says the success of the system will also depend on people, businesses, councils and communities taking responsibility for the waste they produce.
