Sigatoka River gets trashboom as Govt steps up fight against waste

Fiji has stepped up its national fight against plastic pollution with the launch of a third river trashboom in Sigatoka. 

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya said this initiative was a practical solution backed by stronger laws, data and enforcement. 

She said the system, installed at the outlet of the Sigatoka River near the town’s central business district (CBD), is designed to intercept plastic bottles, diapers, electronic waste and household rubbish before they flow out to sea.

“What we have seen from other sites is clear: our rivers are carrying everything from plastics and diapers to electronic waste and household rubbish. This is not accidental. It is a result of poor choices.”

Ms Tabuya said the initiative was more than a clean-up tool.

“This is not just about stopping waste; it is about understanding it. The data collected from this system will directly inform our National Plastics Inventory and help us target the real sources of pollution.”

The Sigatoka installation is the third trashboom initiative funded with support from Japan and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with two more to follow.

Sigatoka Town Council special administrator Adish Naidu, Tui Madudu of Nayawa Village in the province of Nadroga-Navosa, and the Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya at the launch of Trashboom in Sigatoka Town.

Photo: Katherine Naidu

The Government will fund five additional units nationwide, scaling the solution where it is needed most.

Ms Tabuya said the government was also stepping up enforcement.

“Amendments to the Litter Act are underway. These will strengthen penalties, close legal gaps and ensure that both individuals and businesses are held accountable.”

She said the government is also introducing systemic changes, including a Container Deposit Scheme to create incentives to return and recycle containers, and an Integrated Waste Management Strategy to shift Fiji towards a full lifecycle waste approach.

Trashboom Pacific environmental data analyst Bernadette Thomasina said the system marked a turning point for the Western Division.

“For years, that waste had eventually ended up in the ocean. Starting today, hopefully that changes. This trashboom is our sentinel. It is an interception point. It stands here not as a barrier to the river but as a barrier to pollution,” Ms Thomasina said.

She said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) had been signed with the Sigatoka Town Council, with Trashboom Pacific taking full operational responsibility and providing data reports to the council and the ministry.

“Sigatoka is proving that this model works. For waste management solutions to be sustainable, they must be locally driven.”