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In brief
- Fiji has rejected a plan by an Australian billionaire to burn rubbish for energy.
- The plan involved shipping waste into Fiji from across the region.
The Fijian Ministry of Environment has turned down a proposal from Australian billionaire Ian Malouf to establish a waste-to-energy facility in Fiji. This decision follows significant opposition from local landowners and tourism businesses.
Malouf’s plan involved transporting non-recyclable waste from across the region to Fiji—famed for its unspoiled beaches—and constructing an incinerator capable of processing 900,000 tonnes of waste annually. However, local communities criticized the project as “waste colonialism.”
In a social media post from April, Fiji’s UN Ambassador, Filipo Tarakinikini, expressed strong opposition, asserting that the Vuda coast, located north of Nadi, should not become a dumping ground for the Pacific.
On Thursday, Fiji’s environment ministry officially rejected the proposal from Malouf’s company, The Next Generation Holdings (TNG). Concerns cited included the project’s immense scale, the importation of waste, management of hazardous ash, and potential public health risks.
The ministry also highlighted unresolved issues related to the project’s potential impact on tourism and the environment, as well as questions about its economic viability, based on the information provided by the company.
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“This is not a decision against investment or against new waste solutions,” Fiji’s secretary for the environment, Sivendra Michael, said in a statement.
“The department was not satisfied that the potential impacts and risks of the project could be adequately assessed or managed,” he added.
The Australian-based duo of Malouf and fashion entrepreneur Rob Cromb had earlier claimed government support for the waste incinerator, which was to be built within 15km of Fiji’s tourism gateway Nadi.
Malouf, who made his fortune in rubbish disposal, along with Cromb, had told Fiji’s government the project could meet 40 per cent of the small country’s electricity needs, cutting its reliance on diesel.
An environmental impact statement lodged showed it would also raise Fiji’s national emissions by 25 per cent.
Residents said the emissions would spoil Fiji’s eco-tourism reputation and pose a safety risk with hotels and schools nearby.
Dial a Dump founder Malouf spent seven years trying to get a similar waste-to-energy incinerator approved in Sydney before it was rejected as a risk to human health in 2018.
Cromb, owner of the Paris fashion label Kookai, manufactures clothes in Fiji.
TNG had no immediate comment on the decision.
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