Solid waste disposal continues to be a major area of concern for the second most populous municipality in the country.
Nasinu Town Council chief executive officer Anurashika Bari said the amount of waste being disposed of at the Naboro Landfill was taking a toll on the council’s coffers.
“Nasinu generates 20,000 tonnes of waste a year, costing the council approximately $2.5million, which is 80 per cent of the council’s revenue from town rate and garbage fees,” Ms Bari said.
She said the council was reliant on grants and subsidies to be able to cover operational costs for other services.
“This figure is inclusive of labour costs; transport costs (to Naboro Landfill) and then there is increasing costs such as for landfill costs and fuel costs.
“I believe we have to work in partnership with the community to manage this challenge otherwise the council and central government will not be able to meet the demands.”
She said the council was distributing 2000 compost bins across Nasinu, targeting schools, tertiary institutions (Fiji National University) and informal settlements to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of at Naboro.
“These are hotspot areas where a lot of waste is generated and currently our health teams are working within these communities to teach them about composting and reducing kitchen garbage.
“It will take time to educate and create awareness about using compost bins but we have received good support from the communities and some of them are willing to learn and be part of this great initiative.”
