Heartbreaking stories of Fijians involved in informal waste picking who are battling stigma and very low income among many other challenges were captured in an inaugural mapping exercise conducted by the Pacific Recycling Foundation in communities in the West.
PRF founder Amitesh Deo said those 150 individuals displayed incredible resiliency and strength and came out with inspiring stories of how they managed to earn a living and support their families by waste picking.
The exercise focused on communities in Rakiraki, Tavua, Ba, and Lautoka on their socioeconomic and environmental conditions, living conditions, access to basic services and amenities, and work-related challenges.
“We will also be co-ordinating with relevant government agencies to ensure some of these families who are living in extreme poverty can tap into social protection benefits,” said Mr Deo.
“There is hope that following the mapping exercise, we will work in partnership with relevant government and donor agencies and development partners to co-ordinate structured support to improve the working and living conditions of these individuals to ensure they can better support their families,” he said.
“We also made some referrals to the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre as some people needed immediate assistance such as counselling services and other necessary support particularly those battling domestic violence.”
The mapping exercise of informal waste collection is being conducted in partnership with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), FWCC, Asco Motors, and Tourism Fiji.
Through this mapping exercise, the PRF aims to create a comprehensive database of those involved in waste picking, which will be useful for policy-makers, researchers, and other stakeholders.
