Government to install eight new trash booms to tackle litter crisis

Government is scaling up efforts to curb the litter crisis, with eight additional trash booms to be installed across key waterways by early January.

Confirming the expansion, Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael said the rollout demonstrated the Government’s determination to stop waste at its source before it reached the ocean.

“This is about acting decisively where pollution begins,” Dr Michael said.

“Every piece of plastic or waste intercepted in our creeks and rivers is one less threat to our reefs, our fisheries and the health of our people.”

The installations, scheduled between December 12 and the first week of January, follow the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Trash Boom Pacific Ltd, strengthening technical collaboration to scale up effective waste interception solutions.

“We are expanding what has already proven to work,” Dr Michael said.

“The trash booms installed at Nabukalou Creek and Bailey Bridge are delivering clear results, and this next phase builds directly on that success.”

Trash booms act as floating barriers that capture plastics, rubbish and debris moving downstream, preventing them from entering Fiji’s marine environment.

Additional sites have been identified through national litter hotspot mapping and on-the-ground assessments.

Looking ahead, Dr Michael said further litter hotspot locations had been identified for 2026, with scoping studies and feasibility assessments under way to ensure installations were effective, environmentally sound and sustainable.

“For every stream, creek or river identified as a hotspot, we are applying proper feasibility checks and impact assessments,” he said.

“This ensures long-term environmental outcomes, not short-term fixes.”

Dr Michael also commended volunteers and community members who have stepped forward to clean areas surrounding existing trash boom sites.

“When people take ownership of their waterways, that is what environmental stewardship looks like in practice,” he said.

“Government action is strongest when it is matched by community responsibility.”

The initiative forms part of the ongoing Anti-Litter Campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

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