As we step into 2025, the Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) is urging collective action to continue the momentum gained in 2024 and to overcome the hurdles that still obstruct effective and sustainable waste management practices. Founder Amitesh Deo emphasizes that while progress has been made, the journey is ongoing and 2025 should be the year for significant transformation through authentic and collaborative cross-sector efforts.
Deo remarks, “Let this be the year we break barriers and achieve lasting transformation. The accomplishments of 2024 were important steps forward, but we must now convert these milestones into sustainable, scalable solutions that encompass every community and tackle the fundamental issues fueling the waste management crisis.”
Throughout 2024, PRF has established the Pacific Recyclers Alliance, an essential initiative to promote regional cooperation in tackling shared waste management challenges. Moreover, the acknowledgment of the term ‘Collection Pillars of Recycling’ has brought much-needed recognition and respect to informal collectors of recyclables.
The Foundation has also made significant advances in extending recycling initiatives to Fiji’s outer islands, launching a pioneering soft plastics recycling project, and seeing the successful transition of the CPR (Community Plastic Recovery) program into formal employment through the ‘I Recycle’ initiative. This program has garnered support from over 20 organizations and communities.
Alongside PRF’s recycling efforts, Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited—PRF’s entrepreneurial segment—has enabled more than 60 organizations, ranging from financial and educational institutions to corporate sectors and local communities, to divert recyclables from dumpsites and landfills. In 2024 alone, PRF successfully diverted almost 5 million kilograms of recyclables, or 4,837 tonnes, emphasizing a crucial shift towards improved waste management practices.
Despite these achievements, Deo underscores the importance of addressing remaining gaps, especially in underserved regions. He insists that the real challenge for 2025 is to broaden these efforts, move away from outdated waste management practices, and ensure that solutions are both inclusive and sustainable.
Deo calls upon the government to enact bold and genuine changes in waste management, advocating for partnerships with PRF to prioritize long-term solutions over temporary fixes. He states, “This is not the time for half-measures—the waste management crisis demands that we act decisively.”
Furthermore, he appeals to businesses to move past superficial sustainability initiatives and invest in lasting, impactful solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. “Corporate responsibility is not just about fulfilling a duty but ensuring a sustainable future for all. Businesses must be accountable for their environmental impact,” Deo concludes.
In summary, the Pacific Recycling Foundation is eager for 2025 to be a year of profound change and collaboration. The foundational work laid down in 2024 provides hope, driving the community towards a more sustainable and responsible approach to waste management. The commitment to ensure this transformation is collective, emphasizing that every sector has a role to play.
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