USAID, WRFL, PRF Organize Behavior Change Training and Workshop to Promote Recycling Practices in Suva City

To promote recycling in Suva City, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited (WRFL) and the Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF), conducted a training workshop on Social and Behavior Change Communication for a recycling project in Suva City.  

Attendees from the Suva City Council, Nasinu Town Council, Fiji National Provident Fund, and Fiji Development Bank, and WRFL and PRF partners, learned about innovative communication tools and practices to encourage recycling and improve solid waste management.

“One of USAID’s approaches is to promote locally relevant and feasible social, and behavior change to reduce single-use plastics and their many impacts,” said Michael Glees, USAID Pacific Islands Senior Development Advisor.

During the course of the two-day workshop, participants drafted creative and meaningful messages that will serve to motivate community members and business owners to engage in proper waste separation, recovery of recyclables, and sustainable recycling practices for a cleaner environment.

PRF’s founder and WRFL CEO Amitesh Deo lauded the workshop as vital for the success of the recycling project, which will set up five dedicated I-Recycle Hub Bins at strategic locations throughout Suva City. 

“We are excited to collaborate with USAID to provide a tailor-made training program, specifically on concepts relating to the development of social and behavior change communication strategy for the recycling project in Suva City,” said Mr. Deo. “We are grateful to organizations that have come on board as implementing partners for the project, and they will also take key learnings from the workshop.”

The training workshop was held at the Fiji National University in Suva City.  It also equipped media organizations with a deeper understanding of issues and challenges associated with waste management, and shared techniques to develop news stories, features, and advertisements that can impact mindset and behavior change toward recycling. 

The project is part of USAID’s grant award under the Clean Cities Blue Oceans Program to WRFL and PRF to address ocean plastic pollution in the Pacific Islands.