Culmination of hopes & dreams of passionate recycling advocates – GRD 2023
Global Recycling Day celebrations on 18th March this year in Denarau will be a momentous occasion and is expected to leave indelible impression on those that have been passionately involved in recycling without any proper recognition for their invaluable work towards Fiji’s environment and the country as a whole.
Although Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited started having discussions on the idea of dedicating a day to celebrate recycling and honor the work of those involved in this space, the inaugural GRD celebration took place in 2021.
WRFL in partnership with Swire Shipping, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Pacific Energy organised Fiji’s first Global Recycling Day celebration in 2021 at the Vodafone Arena with an aim to honor and recognise the efforts of various stakeholders in the recycling space, particularly the waste picking community who rely on the collection of recyclables such as PET bottles, tin cans, aluminum cans, and metal for their daily survival. The day also marked the formal commencement of WRFL’s vision of creating awareness and changing people’s perception and behaviour towards recycling. The celebrations in Suva was held at a much smaller scale, largely due to the fact that many did not see value in attaching with a recycling event, lack of knowledge regarding recycling and proper waste management and lives attached to it, and in some cases, due to ignorance.
This did not discourage or dampen the spirits of some like WRFL who initiated activism work, but instead motivated them to put more efforts to fight for relevance and recognition that recycling should be seen as an industry with great potential and the need to hear the voices and struggles of those that have contributed immensely to reduce the volume of waste materials ending up at our landfill and dumpsites, and keep our environment clean.
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated challenges worsened the situation in the recycling space, deprived hundreds of Fijians of their daily earnings as they could not go out to collect recyclables, women and members of the LGBTQI+ community who are involved in this trade started to suffer more during the lockdowns, drastic changes to world market prices posed huge challenges on WRFL as an organisation and priorities began to change, however some of us remained on course and ensured that we deliver on our objectives, even in the most darkest period in our history.
This period gave birth to Pacific Recycling Foundation, an offshoot of WRFL – formed primarily to raise awareness on recycling and provide structured support to hundreds of individuals or groups involved in informal waste picking in Fiji and the Pacific region (in particular women and members of the LGBTQI+ waste pickers involved in the collection of recyclables).
PRF, which is a rights-based organisation, is a reflection of the 28+ years of challenges and difficulties experienced by Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited. PRF’s key role is advocacy and awareness of recycling and the gender aspect of waste management. Through the implementation of recycling projects namely, Recycling on The Go (ROG) Ambassadors program at Jai Narayan College, pilot recycling project at Kabutri Drive, various outreach programs in communities and empowerment programs for Collection Pillars of Recycling, PRF and WRFL started to forge new partnerships.
FOUR YEARS LATER, to celebrate GRD at a well-known resort in Denarau, to have the Hon. Prime Minister officiate at the event, recognise and endorse the work of organisations like WRFL and PRF, and more importantly thousands of individuals who are involved in informal waste picking is a culmination of hopes and dreams of some who have been working tirelessly to change mindsets and behaviour towards recycling.
GRD celebrations on 18th March at the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort will mark an important journey for PRF – it marks an absolute alignment of passion, ethics, and shared vision through a partnership with Tourism Fiji.
Principles such as accountability, transparency, shared vision, and proper and open consultative process guide our GRD partnership as we continue to work with current partners and welcome new alliances.
Global Recycling Day for us as Recycling Advocates is one of the most important days. The day allows us to bring recycling to the forefront of discussions, create awareness of the work done by recycling companies as well as those involved in waste informal waste picking, talk to various stakeholders about the different areas of recycling, research, and upcycling that we are involved with, engage with all different stakeholders collectively and in solidarity with the recycling movement and importantly, it is a day we celebrate our own work.
This year’s Global Recycling Day is also significantly different for us as it signifies a collaboration of true commitment, ethics, and a shared vision towards sustainability, recognition of recycling as a trade, and the human aspect of waste management.
Tourism Fiji’s willingness to partner with PRF and actively promote discussions around best practices for recycling and waste management gives us the confidence that we can progressively change the landscape of waste management in Fiji.
This partnership also gives validation of the human aspect of waste management and aligns with our long-term vision that through active participation of all sectors and individuals in recycling, we will be able to capture volumes of recyclables that will justify large capital investment into recycling and upcycling plants in Fiji. This also means that progressively, we will be able to transition individuals engaged in waste picking or Collection Pillars of Recycling to green jobs.
Additionally, the confirmation that the leader of the nation, Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka who once decided to collect recyclables to stay above water, will officiate at this year’s GRD has brought further excitement and hope amongst various stakeholders in the recycling space.
Leading up to the event in March, we will announce additional partners who have come forward to join the recycling movement and show solidarity with those involved in waste picking. We will also be announcing two major national campaigns later this month that have been designed to protect our environment from the harmful impacts of plastic and allow people to join the recycling movement.