The FijiFirst government had planned to introduce a waste management company that would be owned by municipal councils.
In Parliament on Tuesday, Opposition MP Premila Kumar revealed the previous government’s plans before they lost in the 2022 General Election.
“We (FijiFirst government) had already started a process to fix the problem of littering,” said Ms Kumar.
“I’m talking about action here.
“We directed the Suva City Council to manage waste collection in the Nausori area under the shared services model, which is allowed under the law, to eventually bring in Nausori and Lami municipalities. The ultimate goal was to create a professional waste management company owned by the municipal councils, operating like a private company on a user pay system.”
She said this would have allowed municipal councils to focus on developing vibrant cities and towns that attract investment, and create jobs, rather than being burdened with waste collection.
“But what we see is a step backward when this government decided to go back to the old system with the old mentality that the job of municipal council is to cut grass, clean, and collect rubbish. We need to go beyond that.”
Ms Kumar added the real commitment to seeing a national campaign on anti-littering was to be successful, the proper resources such as financial support needed to be provided.
“If we want to clean up our streets and protect our environment, we need a real commitment to make waste management a national infrastructure priority. And for that, money is needed.
“If you don’t put money into collection services, forget about just simple campaigns, and the talk shop that we normally have.”
