FIJIANS caught littering will face a fivefold increase in the fixed penalty, rising from $40 to $200 from September 1, 2026 as the Government steps up efforts to curb what it says is a growing waste problem.
Minister for Information and Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya told Parliament this week that Cabinet had approved regulations to operationalise the new penalty following the enactment of the Litter Amendment Act 2026 in April.
“Subject to completion of the gazetted process from September 1, 2026, the fixed penalty for littering will increase from $40 to $200,” she said.
“That is a fivefold increase. If you litter, you pay, not because government wants your $200, you would rather collect zero dollars in litter fines.
“But because zero dollars in fines would mean people are doing the right thing.”
Ms Tabuya said Fiji could not afford to become a “throwaway society”, warning that waste thrown on roadsides and into waterways eventually reaches the ocean.
“Waste does not disappear, it travels.
“It travels into our drains, into our rivers, onto our beaches, into our ocean, and eventually someone else pays the price.”
She said taxpayers, the tourism industry and the marine environment ultimately carried the cost of irresponsible disposal.
“There is nothing small about block drains contributing to flooding.
“There is nothing small about plastic entering our rivers and oceans, and there is certainly nothing small about taxpayers repeatedly paying to clean up rubbish that should never have been thrown in the first place.
“Yes, the fine maybe $200, but the cost of littering to Fiji is much, much higher.”
