Suva’s Iconic Past being restored – but what about the rubbish?

The old Grand Pacific Hotel, opposite Albert Park and the Government Buildings, now undergoing restoration, and due to re-open in 2014.

Lovers look on as a fridge bobs in Suva Harbour in downtown Suva

Daily view of rubbish on the beach in Downtown Suva

 

Recently there was an article in the newspaper here in Fiji about a wonderful project to restore the old iconic buildings and gardens in Downtown Suva (for online copy of the article by Graham Davis, click here).  This is a great project, but my concern is – once the work is done, and locals and tourists come to the area, if they look up they will see the beauty of “Old Suva”, currently a faded beauty, and the glory of Suva Harbour, if they look down, they will see hundreds of polystyrene lunch containers that say “Bula” (which means Hello or Welcome) or “Fiji”, co-mingled with plastic drink bottles, aluminum cans, tyres, backpacks and allmanner of other rubbish all along the beach and the sea wall promenade.  Recently I saw a fridge floating about two meters from shore in Suva Harbour outside the Fish Market.  One idea in my response below:

Polystyrene lunch container “Bula” floats in Suva Harbour outside the Suva City Council Offices

The Peace Park on Suva Harbour

Disused fountain in Thurston Gardens, near the Fiji Museum

The sea wall promenade near the Suva City Council Offices, with a seaplane parked at the Holiday Inn, and the old Grand Pacific Hotel in the background.

I read your article with interest in the paper recently. While it is wonderful news that there are moves to restore the Government Buildings, the old Grand Pacific Hotel and the strip along the sea wall, I wonder if any of the supporters of this project have recently taken a walk along the sea wall? I do not have a car here in Fiji, so I walk or ride the bus. From that vantage point, on any and every day of the week, you can see recyclables, and rubbish by the tonne along the walkway and small beaches that dot the sea wall. Notably, it seems that the majority of garbage dumped on the nature strips and beaches seems to be outside where the Government employees take their lunch. If you look at the beach outside FIRCA, the beach outside the Suva City Council Buildings, and the beach outside the Government Office Tower, you will see the remnants of daily lunches. It is a strange twist of fate that many of the polystyrene “lunch packs” that are used at almost every take away shop say “Bula” or “Fiji”. This is quite embarrassing really. There are also no recycling bins at all that I have seen either along the sea wall, or in Suva City, or anywhere else. Recycling bins must be a priority for those in authority, as there are approximately 44 million PET plastic drink bottles in Fiji every year (that figure though was from 2003). What use the mantra of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle if there are no public place recycling bins. Coca Cola Amatil and Fiji Water have a joint program where they will collect the bottles and pay per kilogram, plus all aluminum cans. Surely Suva City Council could arrange this, and if they need assistance, I am happy to facilitate.
Could part of the cause of the problem be that much of the recyclables and garbage is not visible if traveling by car, and that many in authority have a driver and a vehicle?
Part of the solution could be a “plain clothes Friday” for all government and council administrative staff – a lunch time barbeque could be provided on the beach, and a weekly show of civic duty to pick up one’s own lunch rubbish could be exhibited. Recently we did a

clean up on a 5km stretch of a rural dirt road in Koronivia, and collected more than 1,200 bags of rubbish and recycling.
Cleaning up sporadically is not a solution, and too often every article in the paper about clean ups mentions this or that community group, but does not mention or tally WHAT was collected. Once we learn that the rubbish needs to be tallied,and the results published, then maybe we

Thurston Gardens, Suva

will get some action. Fiji is abundant in beauty and resources, and could be a leader in the Pacific if we learn how to deal with recycling, and fast!
Recycling bins can even be made from the plastic bottles, so very little expenditure is needed. I am being contacted by communities across Fiji who want to recycle, and just need someone to help them to get it organized. If you or your readers wish to be involved, please feel free to contact me.