PRF Calls Out Stigma and Exclusion in the Waste Management Sector & Beyond During Pride Month

As the world marked Pride Month in June, Pacific Recycling Foundation is calling for urgent, intersectional responses to the marginalisation faced by LGBTQI+ individuals working in the waste management space and beyond, highlighting that they are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, displacement, and systemic exclusion.

“Pride Month is more than a celebration. It is a time to stand up for those whose dignity, safety, and rights remain under constant threat,” said the Founder of PRF, Amitesh Deo.

“We have to be honest – there is a global regression in the space of activism and human rights, including those of LGBTQI+ communities, which has resulted in restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Those who fight for human rights are being pressured to justify their work, even as the most marginalised continue to suffer.”

Deo said many individuals working in the waste management space, whether formal or informal, including the Collection Pillars of Recycling (CPR), are part of the LGBTQI+ community. These workers face compounded stigma. They are marginalised for the essential but undervalued work they do in the sustainability and climate change space and further excluded because of their identity.

“Waste work already carries a heavy social stigma. Some brands and corporates shy away from supporting these workers because they think it tarnishes their image,” said Deo.

“If you add being LGBTQI+ on top of that, the exclusion is even more extreme. We need to confront these uncomfortable truths if we want real change.”

PRF stresses that LGBTQI+ communities are on the frontlines of climate vulnerability in Fiji and the Pacific, with a higher risk of displacement, eviction, and limited access to resources during disasters.

“Climate justice and human rights are inseparable. You cannot plan for resilience while ignoring the most vulnerable. Inclusion must be the foundation of every system, every policy, every partnership,” said Deo.

PRF is also urging rights-based organisations, civil society movements, and community leaders in this space to make use of the current enabling environment for freedom of speech to speak up in support of LGBTQI+ communities. “The political space in Fiji allows us to speak out. We encourage all movements fighting for rights, equality, and justice to come forward with strong messages of solidarity for LGBTQI+ communities, especially during Pride Month.”