Waste Management in Fiji: Current Status and Challenges

Waste Management in Fiji: Current Status and Challenges

Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific with a population of around 900,000, faces unique challenges in waste management due to its geography, limited land area, and dispersed communities across more than 300 islands. Solid waste generation has increased in recent years, driven by urbanization, tourism, and economic growth.

Currently, the waste management system in Fiji relies heavily on:

• Landfills: The main facility, Naboro Landfill (near Suva), handles the majority of municipal solid waste. Smaller islands have basic dumping sites, which often do not meet international sanitary standards.

• Community collection points and transfer stations: These are common in urban and peri-urban areas but less organized in rural and outer islands.

• Recycling: Recycling activities remain limited, mainly focusing on aluminum cans, PET bottles, and cardboard, with private companies and informal collectors playing important roles.

Key challenges include:

• Limited capacity and funding for modern waste treatment infrastructure.

• Illegal dumping and open burning, particularly in rural and informal settlements.

• Vulnerability to extreme weather events, which can damage waste infrastructure and spread pollution.

Medical Waste Management and Incinerators

In the healthcare sector, medical waste incineration remains the primary method of treating infectious and hazardous waste.

Current situation:

• Most large hospitals, such as Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, Lautoka Hospital, and Labasa Hospital, use small- to medium-capacity medical waste incinerators.

• Smaller clinics and health centers often lack dedicated on-site treatment and may transport waste to larger facilities.

• Incinerators in Fiji are typically diesel-fueled, batch-type units designed to handle waste capacities from 10–50 kg/hour.

• There have been reports of older incinerators operating below ideal combustion temperatures, leading to incomplete combustion and potentially harmful emissions.

Challenges:

• Some rural health centers still resort to open burning or burial of infectious waste due to the lack of equipment.

• Maintenance and spare parts for incinerators can be difficult to obtain.

• There is increasing concern about air pollution and emissions standards, as public awareness of environmental health risks grows.

Future Policy and Planning

The Fijian government, through the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Health and Medical Services, has been working on modernizing waste management, including medical waste. Key directions include:

National Solid Waste Management Strategy (draft updates):

• Focus on reducing landfilling and promoting waste minimization.

• Introduce stricter monitoring of hazardous and healthcare waste.

Plans for healthcare waste:

• Gradual replacement of old incinerators with new, cleaner-burning models that meet international emissions standards.

• Explore alternative technologies (e.g., autoclaves or microwave treatment) where feasible.

• Strengthen training for healthcare staff in waste segregation and handling.

Broader environmental policy:

• Strengthen enforcement of environmental regulations.

• Enhance cooperation with development partners and donors (e.g., UNDP, JICA, EU) for technical assistance and funding.

• Improve data collection and national reporting on hazardous waste.

While Fiji still relies on small- to medium-scale medical waste incinerators, there is a clear policy push toward modernizing waste treatment, reducing environmental impacts, and investing in new technologies. These efforts are part of Fiji’s broader vision to protect public health and its fragile island ecosystems.