PACIFIC grassroots recyclers are set to have a stronger voice in shaping the region’s future waste and recycling policies, as organisations from across the region bring their lived experiences to a regional policy workshop in Vanuatu this week.
The Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) and the Pacific Recyclers Alliance (PRA) will join regional stakeholders at the Circular Policy Co-Design Workshop and Training in Port Vila from September 16–18, where Pacific organisations and grassroots recyclers will contribute to discussions on strengthening waste management and recycling systems.
The participation comes as the region considers how recycling systems can better reflect community realities and the work of people on the ground.
PRA will represent grassroots recycling organisations from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Naoero, bringing together experiences from across the Pacific.
PRF Founder Amitesh Deo said those working directly in communities should be central to decisions about recycling’s future. “Being in the room matters, but being heard matters even more,” Deo said, adding that grassroots recyclers have years of practical experience that should be recognised and valued in regional policy discussions.
