The Next Generation Fiji (TNG) has clarified that its proposed energy-from-waste plant at Vuda will accept only non-hazardous municipal solid waste, amid public questions about the project’s scope and safety. In a new statement the company said Environment and Climate Change permanent secretary Dr Sivendra Michael had confirmed that the facility’s planned waste stream “everyday household and commercial waste do not fall within the scope of hazardous waste regulated under the Waigani Convention”.
TNG founder Ratu Qativi Robert Cromb acknowledged community concerns and said the company’s priority was to respond “clearly and transparently”. He stressed the project would not be a route for hazardous materials, and that exclusions were more than policy commitments. “They are embedded into the design, operating procedures, and contractual framework of the project,” Cromb said.
The company provided a more detailed description of what will — and will not — be accepted. The Vuda facility is intended to process household waste, food and organic waste, paper and cardboard, plastics and packaging, textiles and other non-recyclable residual municipal refuse. Explicitly excluded are medical and clinical waste, hazardous industrial chemicals, radioactive materials and any waste streams that do not meet regulatory standards.
TNG said the waste handling regime will include multiple checks to prevent prohibited materials from reaching the site. All waste will be classified, screened and verified at its point of origin prior to transport, with further checks before acceptance at the facility. The company also outlined on-site inspection and rejection protocols, pre-shipment waste verification, continuous environmental monitoring systems and independent regulatory oversight as part of the project’s controls.
The clarification comes as concerns about waste management and emissions have been raised in public debate over energy-from-waste proposals. TNG noted that the waste targeted by the Vuda project mirrors the material currently piling up in Fiji’s landfills and often disposed of by uncontrolled burning — practices the company says the plant would address by diverting that stream into an energy recovery process rather than landfill or open-air burning.
Cromb reiterated that the project will be subject to Fiji’s full regulatory assessment and public consultation processes. “There are no shortcuts. The science, the law, and the public consultation process will determine the outcome,” he said, adding that TNG remained “committed to engaging openly with communities and ensuring that any development is done properly, transparently, and in the long-term interests of Fiji.”
The statement signals TNG’s attempt to allay fears about hazardous waste importation and operational opacity as the proposal moves toward formal appraisal. Regulators, environmental groups and affected communities will now have a clearer baseline of permissible waste streams and controls to consider during the assessment and consultation phases.