Fiji: Litterbugs face name and shame campaign

Ministers are cracking down on people who dump rubbish along Fiji's roads

Fiji's government is rolling out a name and shame campaign to try to deal with a growing litter problem, which the prime minister has called "a disgrace".

The two-stage scheme will first rely on locals to photograph or film people as they drop rubbish, and send the footage to a dedicated government unit, the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reports. The images will then be used to prosecute those caught in the act. "As an incentive, for posting these photographs and videos, those citizens who wish to can apply for and be eligible for a percentage of the fines as a cash reward," says Environment Minister Parveen Kumar. The second stage will involve naming and shaming offenders in the national media.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama berated "unthinking and selfish" Fijians for dumping rubbish along some of the country's most beautiful routes and beaches, describing it as "a national embarrassment". He told an audience of students: "We can't say to the world 'Fiji is where happiness finds you' only for them to come here and see the sad state of rubbish alongside some of our roads and beaches... It has to stop."

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