MORE tourists mean more waste, says The Next Generation Pte Ltd project proponent Rob Cromb.
Speaking at the second public consultations on the proposed Vuda Waste-to-Energy project in Saweni, Lautoka, Mr Cromb said while tourism was great for economic growth it was also driving up Fiji’s waste.
“The cost of doing nothing means polluted beaches damage our brand, our streets, our environment and our villages,” he said.
“It is a public health crisis. Not necessarily if you’re living far from these environments but if you’re living close it is already a crisis today.
“The EIA identifies these as documented dangers for dengue fever and other diseases and diseases that we can easily avoid with the right strategy for our waste.”
Mr Cromb said at some point Fiji must address its waste crisis.
“Tourism growth is fantastic, but it is also driving up our waste crisis.
“I am a big backer of tourism and let’s double the numbers but at some point, we are going to have to deal with the waste issue.”
Explaining the findings of the EIA report, GHD senior technical director David Gamble said all of the emissions met environmental standards and there would be no odour exceedances from the site.
Mr Gamble said there would be constant monitoring of the impact the proposed facility would have on the environment.
Public feedback to be submitted to the Environment Department on the project’s EIA report ends tomorrow.
