A grassroots environmental campaign that began three years ago has grown into a nationwide movement, with organisers saying more than 1,000 people are now taking part and the Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) will stage its fourth Annual Roadside Campaign to mark World Environment Day and World Oceans Day.
The PRF event, timed around World Environment Day (June 5) and World Oceans Day (June 8), will bring together students, community groups, businesses, government representatives and environmental advocates for roadside awareness activities. Organisers expect hundreds of advocates to take part this year, including students from about 21 schools alongside local community organisations and members of the public.
PRF founder Amitesh Deo said the campaign has moved beyond a single annual clean-up into a broader, community-led effort to build environmental awareness and action across Fiji. “What started as a small roadside clean-up is evolving into a movement where communities organise their own initiatives and stand together to protect Fiji’s environment and oceans,” Deo said, describing the campaign’s shift toward locally driven projects and sustained public engagement.
Participation has climbed steadily since the initiative began, rising from roughly 400 people in its first two editions to more than 1,000 last year, organisers note. This year’s programme will combine practical cleanup and roadside awareness work with creative and cultural messaging: participants will share environmental messages through poetry, speeches, songs, artwork and performances designed to reach different age groups and communities.
The growth of the PRF campaign follows a broader uptick in civic environmental activity across the country. Earlier this year, staff from the Health & Medical Services Ministry joined a Suva cleanup as part of Civil Service Week, a sign that government departments are increasingly participating in public clean-up efforts alongside grassroots groups. PRF organisers say the mix of government involvement, school participation and community leadership is central to the campaign’s sustainability.
Deo and other organisers are urging communities to translate the momentum into ongoing local action, not just one-off events. They envision neighbourhoods and villages taking the campaign model — combining practical waste management, awareness-raising and creative outreach — and adapting it throughout the year to tackle litter, marine pollution and broader environmental threats.
The fourth Annual Roadside Campaign will be the latest test of that approach: if this year’s expected turnout and the involvement of more than 20 schools translate into sustained, community-led projects, organisers say the initiative could serve as a template for village-level and municipal environmental programmes across Fiji.