Permanent secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael says the ministry is stepping up efforts to establish a dedicated litter sorting facility for the Western Division, and that land searches have now produced one potential site — but it will require further negotiations before any work can begin.
Speaking to members of the National Resource Owners Committee in Nadi, Dr Michael said officials from his ministry, together with the Ministry of Local Government, inspected three candidate locations — two between Ba and Lautoka and one in Lautoka. He told the committee all but one were ruled out because they were either too close to a river or located in areas with significant native trees. The remaining possible site lies between Lautoka and Ba and belongs to the iTaukei Land Trust Board (iTLB).
“The ministry… visited three sites. All three sites, except for one, were not suitable for a waste management facility because it either was too close to a river or it was in an area where there was a lot of native trees,” Dr Michael said. “We have a site in between Lautoka and Ba that is potential for a site, but it belongs to the iTaukei Land Trust Board.” He added that the team had also conducted visits to Rakiraki, Tavua and Ba but that no final decision had been made.
Dr Michael described the planned facility as “state-of-the-art” and said it would be developed through a public–private partnership rather than as a conventional landfill. He contrasted the proposal with the existing Naboro landfill, which is on state land and run by a private contractor, saying the new site would be conceived and operated as a comprehensive waste management and sorting centre rather than simply a disposal tip.
The fact the candidate site is held by the iTLB means the project will now require land access agreements and further engagement with customary landowners and trustees. Dr Michael said ongoing stakeholder talks would include the National Resource Owners Committee and other relevant authorities as the ministry seeks approvals and ownership arrangements that fit customary land protocols and environmental safeguards.
Alongside the site hunt, the ministry is pressing ahead with regulatory reforms to deter littering. Dr Michael told the committee the current $40 litter fine was ineffective and that the ministry had already increased penalties. He said proposed changes to the Litter Act would introduce a graded system of fines based on the harm or danger of the littered items, with separate penalties for individuals and companies. The review will also consider closing a loophole that has prevented authorities from fining people who dump waste onto or outside private properties unless the rubbish is “close to public spaces.”
These moves build on earlier announcements by the ministry to revise the Litter Act and the Environmental Management Act and to explore measures such as container deposit legislation to cut plastic pollution. A dedicated sorting facility would provide infrastructure to process recovered materials and support those wider legislative aims by diverting recyclables away from landfills and reducing environmental risk.
Dr Michael said more consultations will follow as the government balances technical, environmental and customary land considerations. For now, a preferred site remains under consideration rather than confirmed, and further rounds of stakeholder engagement and legal clearances will determine whether the Western Division moves from planning into construction.
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