Island Innovations: Exploring Community-led Plastic Waste Management Strategies in Waitabu, Fiji

Plastic pollution poses a serious global threat, with an estimated 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic produced since the beginning of its industrial production (Horton & Blissett, 2021). This overproduction creates staggering waste levels of around 350 million tonnes annually (Ritchie, 2023), underscoring the urgent need for effective waste management strategies, especially in vulnerable regions like low-lying communities in small island developing states (SIDS). Remote island villages usually lack centralized waste management systems, resulting in plastic waste often being burnt and/or buried inappropriately. These disposal methods harm the environment and pose serious health risks to local populations and ecosystems. This transdisciplinary qualitative case study research project explored the role of art, upcycling, and ecobrick-making in diverting plastic waste from being burnt or buried and thus from entering the ocean and atmosphere in Waitabu village on Taveuni Island, Fiji. Carried out from September to November 2024, the study utilized a participatory action research framework that involved collaborating with community members to reconceptualize plastic waste collection, use, and reuse primarily through innovative, low-tech solutions such as making ecobricks. While the collaboration process initially focussed on women, it was extended to encourage children and other Waitabu community members to collect plastics and make ecobricks. The teaching of this process was then further extended to some surrounding villages and the local elementary school. Surveys, semi-structured individual and group interviews, and participant observations were utilized to ascertain the project's impacts on the Waitabu community and their plastic waste management. The study found that making ecobricks was easy to teach and a time-efficient way to significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment and provide a usable building resource. Participants reported increased awareness of plastic pollution and expressed a commitment to sustainable practices. The main finding was that ecobricks and other upcycling techniques were simple and effective to teach and implement, with significant engagement from the community.

Keywords: Plastic Waste Management, SIDS, Waitabu, Fiji, Arts

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