Amitesh Deo, founder of the Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF), urged Government officials and sector stakeholders to close the gap between policy statements and on-the-ground action to tackle Fiji’s mounting waste management crisis, in remarks delivered at the VAKA Forum. Deo warned that contradictions between what is promised and what is implemented are already undermining efforts and, if unchecked, will deepen the crisis.
“Sometimes we’re saying something else, sometimes we meet and talk about something else, but something else totally different happens,” Mr Deo told forum attendees, characterising a disconnect he said weakens trust and stalls progress. “If the contradiction doesn’t stop, we will continue to have the issues around waste management as a crisis,” he added, underscoring the urgency for consistent, enforceable follow-through.
Deo pressed for a coordinated approach that brings together government, grassroots recyclers, academics and the private sector. He said the PRF has been working directly with recyclers to surface practical solutions and pledged a formal follow-up: stakeholders have agreed to meet again in one year with feasibility work completed. “We are able to pass on our daily struggles and sensitise the members of parliament on what a solution model can look like — we have agreed to meet one year later with the feasibility on hand,” he said.
Central to Deo’s message was the need for a comprehensive strategy that does more than curb pollution. He called for policies that integrate social justice, environmental stewardship and economic opportunity so that responses to waste also generate dignified livelihoods. “We want to come out of the waste management crisis in a holistic and comprehensive way — green jobs as we move forward do no harm,” Mr Deo said, pointing to the potential to create locally rooted employment while protecting ecosystems.
Deo highlighted the role grassroots recyclers could play in such a transition, arguing that sustainable, scalable solutions should ensure dignity for those who already work informally in the recycling chain. He said strengthening linkages between community-level collectors, formal recycling systems and markets would build both environmental resilience and economic value within Fiji’s waste sector.
The VAKA Forum appearance is the latest development in ongoing public concern about waste management across Fiji. Civil society groups and environment advocates have repeatedly pointed to gaps between announced initiatives and delivery, but Deo’s comments signal a move toward structured engagement: a one-year timeline for feasibility work and a promise of evidence-based proposals to present to policymakers.
With that follow-up meeting now on the calendar, Mr Deo’s intervention places the spotlight on whether the Government and other stakeholders will align commitments with concrete implementation — a measure, he says, that will determine whether Fiji can turn its waste challenge into an opportunity for green jobs, social inclusion and environmental protection.
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