LITTER FREE FIJI “THINK TANK” LAUNCHED TO ADDRESS LITTER

03/06/2020

To address the increasing rate of litter and to explore litter management and material recovery, the Ministry of Environment launched a “Litter free Fiji “Think Tank” to combat litter.
 
The “litter-free Fiji “Think Tank” is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment with the Private sector, Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s), and academics who will work collaboratively to establish a pathway for effective application of monitoring, compliance and penal measures to combat litter.
 
While launching the initiative at the Ministry of Waterways and Environment Headquarters in Suva today, the Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment Hon. Dr. Mahendra Reddy said a sustainable solution for littering needs to be implemented to reduce or minimize whatever waste is leftover from the initial use.
 
Minister Reddy said the establishment of “Think Tank” will allow the experts to get a basic solution of littering which should go back to the base of the supply side, highlighting the importance of reducing, recycle and reuse in waste management practice. 
 
“Often we have spent a lot of time talking about the solution on the demand side. We need to go back and look at the supply side perspective and if there is no supply, then there won’t be any issue at all,” he said.
 
Hon. Dr. Reddy said people need to change their behavior and adhere to the regulations of littering as it creates a threat to other communities and on the environment.
 
“It is not that people are not aware of, but people are not taking its impact seriously because they are not able to see the the impact of negative externalities,” said Minister Reddy.
 
“We should also look at the impact that clogged waterways has on other sectors as littering in the waterways is a common issue which is a threat to our communities.”
 
Minister Reddy said the “Think Tank” expertise should be able to develop solutions to combat littering, waste management, and pollution control in Fiji.