HON. DR. REDDY'S OPENING ADDRESS AT THE LITTER ACT 2008 LITTER PREVENTION OFFICERS (LPO) ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTRAL DIVISION

Permanent Secretary of Waterways and Environment
Director of Waterways and Environment,
Head of the Section on Litter management,

Nominated Litter Prevention Officers, 
Ladies and Gentlemen.
A very good morning to you all.
I welcome you to the first Litter Prevention Officer (LPO) training for 2019. We would like to appreciate the efforts and commitment taken by your organization(s) to be present here today. 

Litter is the result of mostly individual behavior choosing to be careless in the handling of waste. My Ministry recognizes that litter can cause a whole range of problems for everyone in our communities. When discarded carelessly, litter usually ends up in our rivers and creeks, causing flash flooding. Litter is also a threat to public health as it attracts vermin and can negatively affect the image of communities. Litter using plastics causes an additional problem of stalling decomposition of materials which could decompose.

We now have to join hands in combatting this problem which is affecting everyone. It is not only an individual’s

problem or a local problem. Rather, it is everyone’s problem and a national problem. It affects not only the person or area where the litter is thrown but rather the entire community and the nation. The negative effect of litter affects everyone via its polluting and health causing effect as well as its effect on our Waterways. 

We must also note that this problem that we are now trying to combat is not beyond us. It is created by us. Hence, to effectively deal with this, we have address the supply side as well as demand side.

On the supply side, we wish to ban plastic usage, are promoting recycling of wastes as well as providing disposing options such as provision of bins. The waste management and recycling project was first launched in October 2008 in Lautoka and Nadi. The project aims to promote; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle the waste which was later adopted as the 3R waste management model for Fiji. Since then, this concept has been promoted annually in Fiji.
On the demand side, we are educating the general public why they should not litter as well as todays event where they will face the consequences should they engage in littering.

In January 2019, our Ministry launched a ‘Clean Environment Policy’. 
The aim of this policy is to contribute to the Ministry’s long term ambition to make Fiji cleaner for citizens and visitors, through self-compliance and enforcement of the Litter Act 2008. The policy provides guidance for securing a cleaner Fiji for all Fijians through a decentralized community based, awareness, readiness and litter enforcement program(s).
We have come to recognize that the answer to the current littering problem requires a coordinated effort amongst all relevant stakeholders. And I thank you for accepting our invitation to be our partner in combating littering.

This training is timely as it has come at a time when waste issues have taken a center stage and is dominating discussions at all levels and in all sectors of the government including the private sector. 
A similar training would also be conducted for the Western and Northern Division in order to build the capacity of other Public Officers within the two divisions under this Initiative.
Since the enforcement of the Litter Act, more than 300 hundred LPO’s have been appointed and trained from the various Government Departments and Agencies previously. 

The Litter Act 2008 prescribes penalties for littering for various offences and includes littering from a vehicle, failing to safeguard traffic and remove litter, and abandoning dangerous litter. 
The Act is administered by the Department of Environment but can be enforced by a number of authorized litter prevention officers, which includes police officers, Land Transport Officers, Public health officers and other Public Officers.
Although it has been more than ten years since the enforcement of the Litter Act 2008 its effective implementation is quite challenging given the limited resources that we have. 

We hope that this training will help all Litter Prevention Officers fully appreciate and understand our role and what we can and need to do to support government’s efforts in the protection of Fiji’s natural environment. 
It is also important that we fully know our powers and the limitations of our role under this law and what we can and cannot do, including the mechanisms that are in place to address or report those issues that will require the intervention of the Department of Environment. 


It is my fervent hope that this half day training would help us all in taking a step forward in cleaning up Fiji’s Environment. 
After this training, we hope to have developed and raise your capacity as Litter Prevention Officers to enforce the Litter Act 2008 and help address an issue that is of a matter of national concern. 

Now is the time that we need to take collective action to safeguard our natural resources from the impacts of improper waste management and we also need to begin integrating environmental considerations in our management thinking, decisions processes and risk assessments. In this endeavor, we see you, members of our community, students, youths and members of the private sector as out ambassadors. Jointly, we will march forward and ensure Fiji is clean of litter.

At the end of this year, we will recognize our Anti-litter Ambassadors amongst this room as well as the other groups such as students, youths and community leaders in each region by providing them with Anti-Litter Ambassadors Award. I look forward to meeting you all then.

I now wish you all a very fruitful and successful training and in doing so, now declare this Litter Prevention Officers Enforcement Training open.

Thank You.