May 20, 2004

Council sends help to islands

North Shore City Council's waste prevention officer Danielle Kennedy is answering an SOS call from Fiji to help clean up its waste.

Mrs Kennedy will fly to the country in June and spend five days travelling around the main island to present waste and litter reduction initiatives at three workshops.

"It's great to have the opportunity to help out another country that has limited resources and staff in waste minimisation initiatives," she says.

The invitation was extended to Danielle Kennedy after the National Anti Litter Campaign (NALC), an initiative of Fiji's tourism industry, approached the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) for help. The ARC identified North Shore City as leaders in waste reduction and litter, school education and community social change campaigns.

"North Shore City Council has a reputation for quality waste minimisation community and school programmes and we are currently involved in a regional programme to reinforce the 'be a tidy kiwi' philosophy.

"We are also taking a lead on home composting initiatives and other programmes aimed at encouraging consumers to buy recyclable packaging," Mrs Kennedy says.

NALC is paying for her to make the trip and she believes her biggest challenge is Fiji's limited options to recycle.

"Fiji has a visible litter problem in urban areas. As an island nation it has little room for reprocessing and is a long distance from markets for recyclable materials," she says.

Mrs Kennedy believes the best way to overcome these challenges is to get the community involved in spreading the message that littering is socially unacceptable.

"I'm aware Fiji has a different culture and I'll be working towards a strategy suited to its needs, rather than simply trying to re-plant our initiatives over there," she says.

ENDS

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