Fiji will introduce a national container deposit system to lift recycling rates and curb waste entering the environment, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced at the VAKA Forum. Under the scheme, beverage containers will carry a refundable deposit and a pilot is already under way in Suva, Sigatoka and Lautoka where residents can return bottles and cans for cash, Rabuka said.
“Experience from many countries shows that such systems significantly improve recycling rates and reduce waste entering the environment,” Rabuka told forum attendees, stressing the scheme is part of a wider national waste management strategy. He framed the measure as an investment in Fiji’s long-term economic sustainability, saying maintaining “clean coastlines, healthy rivers, and vibrant ecosystems” supports tourism and agriculture.
The pilot’s launch marks the first practical step towards a national rollout, though Rabuka did not set out specific deposit amounts, a firm timeline for expansion or operational details in his remarks. He said the container deposit system was being designed to complement grassroots recycling initiatives already active in communities and to align with legislative reforms currently under development, indicating that regulatory and funding arrangements will be worked out as the pilots progress.
Rabuka also underlined that the success of the scheme will depend on partnerships across society. “This requires strong partnerships between communities, civil society, the private sector, and your government,” he said, signalling the government expects private recycling operators, local councils and community groups to play central roles in collection, processing and public engagement.
The announcement is the latest development emerging from the VAKA Forum, which was established to rethink reliance on landfills and boost municipal recycling. Organisers and environmental advocates have repeatedly warned that Fiji’s dependence on dumping and poorly managed landfills undermines sustainability goals. The deposit scheme represents a move from discussion towards tangible policy action, and follows other recent investments in municipal waste services, such as the handover of new garbage trucks to towns across the country.
Officials say the pilot sites were chosen to test logistics and public uptake across urban and peri-urban settings; results will be used to shape the national model. If international experience is any guide, a well-designed container deposit system can sharply increase return rates for beverage packaging, reduce roadside litter, and feed more material into formal recycling streams — outcomes that align with the government’s stated environmental and economic priorities.
Next steps will include fleshing out the legal framework, finalising operational arrangements and scaling up based on pilot findings. For now, the government is positioning the deposit scheme as a cornerstone of broader reforms intended to shift Fiji away from landfill dependence and toward more circular, community-linked waste management practices.
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