PRF Founder and Director of Operations, Amitesh Deo [Source:Supplied]

The Pacific Recycling Foundation is sounding the alarm in the wake of revelations that Fiji is generating seven times more waste than the population growth of the country.

PRF Founder and Director of Operations, Amitesh Deo, says recent Fiji Bureau of Statistics data highlighted by FBC News on August 24 showed that there was a 17.5% increase in waste generation between 2013 and 2023.

In stark contrast, he says, the population growth was only 2.4%.

Deo says this points to the root cause of Fiji’s waste management crisis.

“These root causes include mindsets and behaviours, lack of accountability and transparency, policies that fail to respond to local realities, and corporate practices that prioritise self-interest over genuine solutions,” said Deo.

“It is a reflection of how little we have done to change behaviours, consumption patterns, and accountability at every level of our society. Until we address this, no landfill and no single-sided industry solution will fix the problem.”

“What Fiji urgently needs is accountability, transparency, and a comprehensive waste management strategy that prioritises mindset and behaviour change at all levels.”

Deo also emphasised that recycling needs to be entrusted to recyclers.

“If industry players continue to use waste management as a self-serving branding exercise, the root causes will remain unaddressed. Symbolic actions or narrow industry gains cannot drive waste solutions; they must be inclusive, coordinated, and grounded in the lived realities of grassroots experiences.”

Between January and to date this year, PRF and its entrepreneurial arm, Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited, have diverted 2,670 tonnes of recyclables from the Naboro landfill and other dumpsites for recycling purposes.

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