Fiji’s environment ministry officially rejected on June 4, 2026, a proposal by Australian billionaire Ian Malouf and fashion entrepreneur Rob Cromb to build a waste-to-energy incinerator and private port near Nadi, Fiji [1, 2].

The project planned to ship 900,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste annually from across the Pacific region to Fiji and burn it to generate up to 40% of the country’s electricity needs [1, 2]. An environmental impact statement warned the plant would raise Fiji’s national emissions by 25% [1, 2].

Fiji’s secretary for the environment, Sivendra Michael, said, “This is not a decision against investment or against new waste solutions. The department was not satisfied that the potential impacts and risks of the project could be adequately assessed or managed” [1]. The ministry cited concerns including the scale of imported waste, hazardous ash management, public health risks, environmental impact, tourism harm, and economic rationale as reasons for rejecting the proposal [1, 2].

Local residents and traditional landowners opposed the project, describing it as a form of "waste colonialism" and fearing possible damage to the tourism sector and safety near hotels and schools [1, 2]. Fiji’s ambassador to the United Nations, Filipo Tarakinikini, publicly condemned the plan in April 2026, stating that the "Vuda coast north of Nadi must not become the Pacific’s ashtray" [1, 2].

Malouf previously spent seven years attempting to gain approval for a similar waste incinerator in Sydney before it was rejected in 2018 over health concerns [1, 2]. Rob Cromb is the owner of the Paris fashion label Kookai and operates manufacturing facilities in Fiji [1, 2].

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka praised the environment ministry’s decision, emphasizing legal safeguards: "Our environmental laws exist for a purpose. They ensure that major developments are tested carefully, transparently and on the evidence" [2].

The rejection leaves the project off the table for now, with no current plans announced to revisit or revise the proposal.