Plea to ferry waste
‘Each trip can cost over $400’
VILLAGERS of Rukua on Beqa are seeking assistance from the Government with the transportation of waste materials from the island to the Naboro Landfill.
Village headman Ilaitia Sese said the Ministry of Health used to provide transport last year for this project, but that came to a halt when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.
“We went back to burying our rubbish on the island and some villages have even gone as far as dumping it anywhere, but it is not good for our natural resources,” he said.
“Now that we’re transporting our rubbish across the sea to Naboro Landfill, each trip can cost over $400, which is costly by necessary exercise.”
Mr Sese said he hoped that Government would help provide costs for fibreglass boats as well as tonnage fee for non-biodegradable waste such as empty plastic water bottles and old electrical appliances.
“This has become an environment issue as well because coastal erosion has exposed previous rubbish dumps on the islands and it can affect our natural resources.”
A team from this newspaper caught up with Rukua Village youths as they unloaded rubbish from their fibreglass boats at Beqa Jetty in Navua Town to a waiting dump truck, which then transported the waste to the Naboro Landfill.
“We want Government to provide assistance with this transporting of rubbish from the nine villages on the island every two or three months, and that will stop the pollution on our island.”
Questions sent to the Ministry of Local Government remained unanswered when this edition went to press last night.