PRF Raises Serious Concerns on Proposed Waste-to-Energy Project in Vuda
Pacific Recycling Foundation is raising serious concerns about the proposed Waste-to-Energy project at Vuda Point, warning that without strong safeguards, the project risks undermining recycling, threatening livelihoods, and locking Fiji into long-term environmental, social, and health risks.
“Recycling must be the foundation of Fiji’s waste management system. Any waste-to-energy project must complement recycling, not compete with it or replace it,” said Amitesh Deo, Founder of Pacific Recycling Foundation.
“With recycling rates already extremely low in Fiji, diverting recyclable materials into energy recovery would be a step backwards, not progress.”
International experience, including guidance from the European Environment Agency, shows that Energy-from-Waste facilities can suppress recycling growth if they are not strictly limited to residual waste only, particularly in small island developing states like Fiji.
PRF is seeking clarity on what types of waste feedstock the proposed facility intends to process, including whether it will handle municipal waste, plastics, organics, industrial waste, or other materials. It is critical that any Waste-to-Energy project facility is restricted to residual waste only, after all recyclable and compostable materials have been removed, in line with the reduce-reuse-recycle hierarchy.
PRF is also calling for transparency on how recycling will be prioritised and continuously improved while the plant is operating, and what pre-processing and sorting systems will be in place to ensure recyclables such as plastics, metals, glass, paper and organics are not sent for energy recovery.
“In Fiji, most household and commercial waste is collected as mixed waste and transported directly to the landfill and dumpsites, with little to no sorting or diversion taking place,” Deo said.
“If a waste-to-energy facility depends on waste for the next 20 or 30 years, the risk of recyclables being fed into the plant is extremely high under our current system. Without major upstream changes, recyclables will inevitably be sacrificed just to keep the plant running. That cannot be allowed to happen in Fiji.”
PRF further notes that waste incineration can only be successfully integrated into a national waste management system when several strict conditions are already firmly in place. These include enforced segregation of waste at source, measures in place to discourage landfilling and increase recycling rates, and a consistently high demand for both heat and power. In the absence of these conditions, waste-to-energy facilities risk drawing in mixed waste, diverting recyclable materials away from recovery, and locking Fiji into long-term systems that undermine circular economy goals rather than strengthening them.
In Fiji’s current context, where most waste continues to be collected and disposed of as mixed waste, these risks are particularly pronounced.
PRF is also deeply concerned about the potential health and environmental pollution risks associated with waste incineration. Burning waste produces hazardous air pollutants. Beyond air pollution, PRF notes that waste-to-energy facilities can also cause water pollution, odour, noise, and vibration impacts on nearby residential and commercial areas.
Deo further raised concerns that meaningful consultation has not taken place with organisations already working in the waste management and recycling space in Fiji. He said for decades, grassroots recyclers have been managing, recovering, and diverting waste under challenging conditions, often filling gaps where formal systems did not exist.
“Have the people and organisations who have been managing Fiji’s waste for decades actually been consulted in a meaningful way? You cannot design a future waste system in isolation, without the voices of those already doing the work.”
From a social justice perspective, PRF Founder highlighted that it remains unclear how the proposed project will affect Collection Pillars of Recycling, who depend on recovering recyclables from dumpsites to earn a living, and whether a social impact assessment has been conducted, and if such an assessment will be made public.
PRF is calling for upcoming public consultations to be inclusive, transparent, and meaningful, involving organisations and individuals already working in the waste management and recycling space, including grassroots recyclers and CPR communities. Communities must be provided with clear and balanced information outlining not only potential benefits, but also the possible environmental, health, and social risks associated with waste-to-energy.
PRF reiterates that recycling must come first. Any waste-to-energy solution considered for Fiji must demonstrably strengthen recycling systems, process residual waste only, protect livelihoods, and align with Fiji’s long-term environmental, social, and economic wellbeing.