A report released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is urging Fiji to improve its waste management system.
The report, titled “The economic impact of plastic pollution and the benefits of reducing mismanaged waste in Fiji” has been released recently and found a broad range of instruments and policies have the potential to decrease the use of plastics and especially reduce plastic leakage into the marine environment.
The report stated plastic waste generated is forecasted in 2023 to be 21,897 tonnes, with 15,177 tonnes of managed waste, 1571 tonnes recycled, 5148 tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste and 1287 tonnes of waste that will leak into the marine environment.
“It is estimated that Fiji should be able to recycle up to 31 per cent of its managed plastic waste, and 19.1 per cent of its mismanaged plastic waste, which in turn could reduce leakage by 19.1 per cent.
“It is important to note that recycling will not decrease overall plastic usage and waste generation, but only reduce mismanaged plastic waste and leakage into the marine environment.
“There is also a need to invest in infrastructure such as waste transfer stations and material recovery facilities to support the recycling sector and source separation,” the report states.
“This goes in line with the new Fiji waste strategy, which promotes waste prevention and minimisation through reduction, reuse, and recycling.”
There is a recommendation to establish a regional recycling hub.
“In the next steps, the solution that is analysed is the establishment of a system in Fiji that would collect recyclable plastics, and separate and recycle them, while also having the capacity to receive materials from other places, such as Samoa.”
