WHERE will the money collected through litter fines go?
The permanent secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr Sivendra Michael, clarified this issue during the Litter Prevention Officers Enforcement Training Program at the Suva Civic Centre on Friday, February 7.
He said people were eager to know where the money collected through fines would go and how it would be spent.
“Everyone is asking that, and I think it is my responsibility to tell you what the plan is, or what the thought process is,” Dr Michael said.
“So, for every fine that is collected, it goes back to buying personal protective equipment (PPE). It goes back to funding the communities that want to do their own cleanups, and it goes to those groups that are trying to organise infrastructure in the community.
“You would have seen that some communities already have those big bags and the compost system. So, the funds that are going to be collected through the trust fund will be going back to the communities to address the waste and pollution issues.”
He said previously, funds were never utilised in those ways.
“Previously, none of the funds had been used in this way, and I think that’s one of the issues in terms of accountability — where do the funds go?”
“So, it’s collected through the trust fund and goes back to those community groups that are trying to do cleanup campaigns, so they have the right equipment and access to the places they want to clean up.”
“If it’s an issue with getting a bus to the venue for a church group, then those are the things that this fund should be looking at, so we can collectively address the issue.”
More than 70 civil servants attended the Litter Prevention Officers Enforcement Training Program in Suva on Friday.
Dr Michael said they aimed to train about 500 Litter Prevention Officers by the middle of next month.
