Vanuakula joins push for cleaner environment

Families in Vanuakula Village, Naitasiri, received compost bins, waste buckets, spades and forks from Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya yesterday.

The assistance was part of the Ministry’s two-day waste management awareness and clean-up programme launched in the village.

Ms Tabuya urged households to begin sorting waste at home by separating biodegradable waste such as food scraps and garden waste from non-biodegradable items including plastics, glass and metals.

“Small steps at each home can lead to big change for all of us,” she said.

She said composting could turn kitchen and garden waste into nutrient-rich soil, helping improve crop yields while reducing household rubbish.

The initiative is expected to benefit Vanuakula Village, which does not have a formal waste collection service.

Ms Tabuya also encouraged youths to participate in the Return and Earn initiative, where bottles and cans can be exchanged for cash.

Villagers were trained by Ministry officers on home composting and waste sorting, while the Pacific Oceans Litter Project conducted sessions on waste segregation and waste auditing before a community clean-up in the afternoon.

Village leaders thanked the Ministry for the support and pledged to show progress in the coming months.