A SEAQAQA businessman believes stronger enforcement alone will not solve Fiji’s growing rubbish problem, calling for people to take greater responsibility for their actions.
Jonathan Batisarisari made the comments after spending about eight hours cleaning up rubbish along the Korosomo roadside in Macuata.
The cleanup, carried out with the assistance of several business houses, the provincial council, and police officers, resulted in six 12-wheeler truckloads of rubbish being removed from the area.
Among the rubbish collected was a discarded needle, showing the potential health and safety risks posed by illegal dumping.
He said the amount of rubbish collected was concerning, particularly because some people continued to dump waste even as the cleanup was taking place.
“As I was cleaning up along the edges, somebody drove by, opened the window and threw out a packet of snacks,” he said.
He said government agencies could introduce and enforce tougher penalties, but the problem would continue if people did not change their behaviour.
“At the end of the day, you should be the one held responsible for this.”
He said the Government could enforce rules, impose fines, and even criminalise certain offences, but individual responsibility remained important.
“It’s important for you to speak out when someone is loitering. If you see a friend throw rubbish out of the car, you go, ‘hey man that wasn’t cool’.”
He said fines could be considered, but lasting change would come when people took ownership of their surroundings and stopped treating public places as dumping grounds.
