A first-of-its-kind, Recycling on the Go (ROG) Ambassadors program, which is an initiative of the Pacific Recycling Foundation and Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited in partnership with Swire Shipping, was launched at the 2022 Global Recycling Day celebrations.
Since 2022, the PRF in partnership with Swire Shipping has launched the program in three schools and expanded its reach to over 2,600 students, their families, and communities.
The program which has been developed to inculcate best practices of recycling in a school environment, aimed at impacting mindset and behaviour toward recycling, was piloted at Jai Narayan College in 2022.
24 students of Jai Narayan College were selected as the ROG Ambassadors, who took up the initiative to advocate for best practices of recycling to over 800 students and teachers at their school.
The PRF provided them with comprehensive in-house recycling training and installed the “I-Recycle Hub” at the school.
In 2023, through Swire Shipping’s continued partnership and commitment to the program and the Ministry of Education’s endorsement, the ROG Ambassadors Program was upscaled to Jasper Williams High School and Nadi Sangam Primary School. It was also endorsed that the program will continue for another year at Jai Narayan College.
Jasper Williams High School which is an all-girls and boarding school was the second school to take on the program. The PRF will be able to get rich data in terms of behaviour and mindset toward waste management, which will be instrumental in the upscaling of the program as well as for stakeholders including the Government for policy development.
The program at Nadi Sangam Primary School is also very special as it allows students to demonstrate environmental responsibility and good decision-making at a very tender age.
Global Recycling Day 2024 saw the launch of the Recycling on the Go (ROG) Ambassadors program at Queen Victoria School in Tailevu making it the fourth implementation site.
The launch of the I Recycle Hub bins at QVS symbolised the engagement of students in activities related to recycling and proper waste management while fostering a sense of environmental responsibility from an early age, shaping future leaders who prioritise sustainability in their professional lives,
The PRF will continue to collect critical data to aid in the scaling up of recycling projects in other schools in Fiji and contribute to the development of a core blueprint for other recycling projects in the region.
These critical data will include:
- Lessons learned;
- Effectiveness of PRF’s training program;
- Challenges faced;
- Gender perspective;
- Waste management and recycling;
- Engagement in a school environment and participation.
