The Government is looking to ban all forms of single-use plastic in Fiji.
Permanent secretary for Climate Change and Environment Sivendra Michael said Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka recently instructed the ministry to find a way to ban all forms of plastics, particularly single-use plastics.
It’s been five years since Fiji first introduced its single-use plastic ban in 2020, which targeted items like thin plastic bags and polystyrene containers — but not all forms of plastic.
The initial ban left out certain products such as packaging, garbage liners, and plastics used in essential sectors like health and agriculture, as these were considered necessary and lacked ready alternatives.
Now, the government wants to close those gaps by moving toward a complete ban on all single-use plastics.
Dr Michael said the Government was currently assessing the impacts and data needed to support such a major policy move.
“So, a complete ban on single-use plastics, but for that, we also need data to be able to understand if we are making these decisions,” he said.
“We need to know how it affects the sectors, what the ramifications would be, what the alternatives are, and whether standards are in place to recognise these alternatives.”
He said the ministry was working to design a comprehensive system that takes into account environmental, social, and economic data to ensure that the decision is evidence-based and sustainable.
This includes understanding how much plastic enters Fiji, how much is recycled, and what ends up in landfills.
Dr Michael said the ongoing work on Ocean Accounts, which integrates ecological, social, and economic data, would also help measure the full impact of plastic pollution in Fiji’s marine environment and guide policy reform.
“The work on ocean accounts is not only looking at the data side, but also looking at the ecological, social, and economic impact of plastic pollution.
“That gives us a good sense and justification to try and introduce a reform that would really benefit the economy at large.”
He said once the necessary data and analysis were complete, the proposal would be presented to Cabinet for consideration.
