Fiji’s recycling sector recorded a measurable gain in 2025, diverting 4,436 tonnes of recyclables from landfills and waterways, but leaders warn the progress masks persistent system-wide gaps that leave much waste uncollected. The Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) and Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited reported the diversion figure as evidence of what coordinated efforts can achieve, even as PRF founder Amitesh Deo urged a shift from selective pick-ups to an all-of-scrap approach.
Deo said current collection methods are too fragmented. “Currently, recyclables are often collected selectively, leaving many items behind and reducing the overall effectiveness of the program,” he said, warning that systemic limitations in transport and collection networks prevent the majority of waste from reaching recycling streams. Those constraints — inadequate vehicles, routing, and infrastructure — mean that the reported 4,436 tonnes represents only a portion of recyclable material generated nationally.
To address that shortfall, PRF and its partners are proposing a new integrated collection system intended to gather all types of recyclables rather than targeting specific brands or materials. “What we need, what our solution model is right now looking at, is an integrated collection system. So we don’t target one brand or one particular type of recyclable, we collect as many recyclables as possible,” Deo said. He emphasised that the proposed model is still at the testing stage and that academics should validate and trial the approach to develop a practical national roadmap.
The call for validation reflects concerns that scaling a one-size-fits-all collection model without rigorous testing could stumble on logistical realities unique to Fiji’s urban and rural communities. Deo said PRF is seeking academic partners to pilot the system in different settings, test collection efficiencies, and quantify diversion gains before recommending wide rollout. That testing will also be essential to set standards for sorting, transportation and the handling of potentially hazardous materials found in the waste stream.
PRF’s urgency is underscored by earlier safety and contamination challenges. In 2024 the foundation raised the alarm after used needles and syringes were discovered in recycling bins and at clean-up sites, a problem that endangers workers and complicates processing. Such incidents highlight the need for safer, more comprehensive collection and segregation at source, and bolster arguments for an integrated system that can reduce contamination and better protect those handling recyclables.
Government efforts to bolster municipal waste services — including the recent introduction of new garbage trucks to several towns — have begun to strengthen local collection capacity, but Deo and PRF stress that these investments must be matched by coordinated, nationwide systems and updated protocols. Without an integrated approach and validated operation model, Fiji risks continuing a cycle of selective collection, contamination and missed opportunities to keep valuable materials out of landfills and waterways.
PRF says the proposed integrated system, if validated and adapted to local conditions, could form the basis of a national roadmap to dramatically increase recycling rates across Fiji. For now, the 4,436-tonne diversion in 2025 stands as a notable achievement and a reminder of both what is possible and how much more is needed to make recycling effective and safe nationwide.
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