MINISTER REDDY'S SPEECH ON GLOBAL RECYCLING DAY “RECYCLING INTO THE FUTURE”

Ladies and gentlment and our dear children!
Greetings to you all.

Global Recycling Day
The 18th of March, 2019 marks the Global Recycling Day, when people around the world will be invited to show their support for recycling of waste. At the global level, Recycling Day was dedicated in 2018 to help recognize, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet. It is a day for the world to come together, and put the planet first. The two goals of the global recycling day includes:

(i) To tell world leaders that recycling is simply too important not to be a global issue, and that a common, joined up approach to recycling is urgently needed.

(ii) To ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until this happens we simply won’t award recycled goods the true value and repurpose they deserve.

Noting the theme about actioning now for the future, we need to recognise the power and role of our youths in leading the charge for recycling.

Production Process, Waste and Environment
The best approach to managing waste is to first refine our production process so that wastes are minimised or by products are used for other purposes. However, there still may be remains which needs to be discarded. This waste when discarded outside designated dumpsites are termed as “Litter”. Litter is the result of mostly individual behavior choosing to be careless in the handling of waste. Our 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. When discarded in open space, it attracts vermin and can negatively affect the image of communities. Litter using plastics causes an additional problem of clogging up waterways for a longer period and also stalls decomposition of materials.
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. Littering also has intergenerational impact via its negative effect on natural ecosystems, as well as reducing their resilience to climate change impacts. 

Wastes and pollution has been identified as one of the greatest threats to sustainable development in the Pacific island region such as Fiji, second only to climate change. A notable dimesnion about waste is that its volume is a direct function of population levels and economic growth. Both of these causal variables are rising amongts the small island states and therefore, volume of waste is also rising. By disecting the community, geographical location and economic activity, two key parameters will be evident; that is, different volumes of waste generated by different communities and different types of wastes generated by different activities. 

However, in Fiji and many small island states, we have yet to develop a more complex waste management system to handle different types of wastes. Due to laxity and absence of waste disposal frameworks in the past and inability and lack of will to enforce penalities, there is a prevailing culture of disposing waste in waterways, along side roads, near river banks, along the coast and in mangroves and natural forests. This culture needs to be changed or we risk losing our natural capital and will deprive both current as well as future genrations from having access to it.

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 to address the supply side, nipping in the bud, at source of generation of waste.
On the supply side, we wish to ban plastic usage, are promoting recycling of wastes as well as providing disposal options such as provision of bins. 

Recycling Systems and Management of Solid Waste in Fiji
As alluded to earlier in this address, with increasing population and economic activity, Fiji is faced with a challenge to manage and properly dispose off so many different kinds of waste streams. A 2012 ADB study titled “Solid Waste Management in the Pacific study” noted that Suva City alones generates 65 to 68 tons of waste perday of which 80% is organic waste while 16% is paper and cardboard wastes. This raises the question as to why are organic wastes being sent to dumpsites. Every households has some kind of gardern around their home and work place and organic waste can either be used directly in these gardens or converted into composts and then applied to gardens.

We, jointly with Ministry of Agriculture, will mount a nation wide program of recyling organisc wastes within our backyards rather than sending it to dumpsites. This could be an example of a self-sustaining system which is practical and should be based primarily on the sound principles of waste avoidance and minimization.Therefore, I am urging all household heads not to send organic or green waste to dumpsites but rather, leave it at a spot to degenarete before applying it to gardens thus converting wastes to provide nutrient for plant growth. In the same manner, we can recycle other solid waste for development or other products. To support this cause, 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. This option of 3R is now pursued vigorously following the launching of the ‘Clean Environment Policy’ in January, this year.

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).

In April, 2015, the Government also launched the Home Composting Subsidy Program and the Clean School Program for implementation by the thirteen Municipal Councils considering their important roles on waste management around the various divisions in the country. 

The Home Composting Subsidy Program and the Clean School Program are two of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) activities under the Japan Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in the Pacific Island Countries (also referred to as J-PRISM). J-PRISM in Fiji commenced in 2011 and has ended in February, 2016 and targeted seven municipal councils (namely Suva City Council, Sigatoka Town Council, Nadi Town Council, Lautoka City Council, Ba Town Council, Tavua Town Council and Rakiraki Town Council). The Government is working towards the extension of this program and at this junction, the Government of Fiji acknowledges and is grateful for the technical support provided by the Government of Japan. 

Work is currently in progress for the 2nd Phase of the JPRISM Project on expanding recycling activites such as Home Composting Subsidy Program and the Clean School Program to ALL the 13 councils including the remaining six Councils (Nasinu Town Council, Nausori Town Council, Lami Town Council, Levuka Town Council, Savusavu Town Council and Labasa Town Council). The Home Composting Subsidy Program and the Clean School Program is fully funded by the Government. 

The Government is thankful to all Local Waste Recycling companies who have come forrward to establish their core business to recyle wastes to either ship it outside Fiji or to develop a product like the “Number One Toilet Paper” company operating from Laucala Beach Estate. I wish to formally acknowledge your efforts and thank you all for surpoting us in our endeaver for waste management in Fiji. I urge all stakeholders in Fiji to lend support to these companies by seperating and allowing the pickup of these wastes by these companies as it will not only reduce the burden of waste collection, but will also assist us managing the dumpsites which is filling up quite rapidly. I do note that some hold the attitude of why they should support this inititive as these businesses are making a product to sell and make profit but I wish to remind you that by putting in a little effort, you are making a small but significant contrbution towards governments effort to effectively manage a growing crisis of waste management and at the same time, help us fullfill our goal towards reducing carbon footprint thus mitigating the climate change dimension. At this junture, I also wish to recognise and acknowledge a regional initiative Waste Collection and Waste Recycling, the moana taka partnership, that has been established between the China Navigation Company Ltd(CNCo/Swire Shipping Agencies (SSA) and the secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme(SPREP) to work together to reduce the various waste streams collecting in the Pacific Island Territories (PICT).

CNCo will provide the shipping container/s to load the waste stream, free (subject to pick up and return, in clean state, within normal commercial timings), and will provide free shipment of the container/s between relevant ports. SPREP would assist to administer the scheme and Fiji is an eligible member country to participate in this scheme.


Concluding Remarks
Before I conclude, I wish to allude to our lack of a framework for handling of more hazardous wastes which hasn’t being given due attention as yet. This is particularly from industrial sector as well as from hospitals. A draft National Healthcare Waste Policy was prepared by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services few years back but is yet to be fully implemented. In an article published in the Fiji Journal of Public Health, in 2016 by K. Sela, B. Timaima, L. V. Biaukula and A. Rokoduru titled Clinical Waste Management in Tavua Hospital, argue that there is considerable risk to environment and human life due to lack of proper waste management. I wish to assure all that we at Ministry of Waterways and Environment will work will all stakeholders in dealing with these gaps in our national strategy for waste management as we go forward.
In conclusion, I look forward to surpport from all crossections of the society, our children, households, educational institutions, the commercial and industrial sector in joining hands with us in dealing with a looming crisis of waste management. Inability to have and enforce proper waste management strategy, inability to reduce, resuse and reclye waste will affect us all now and as well the as future generations and thus we all must all take ownership of this initiative and make Fiji a model clean country

Thank you, vinaka and dhanyavad!