In a sector long defined by stereotypes, Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited is dismantling the idea that waste management is a man’s world.

Through its commitment to social inclusion and gender equity, WRFL is creating a workplace where women, including those from marginalised and stigmatised backgrounds, are not only seen and heard but are also leading from the front.

Women currently make up 36 percent of WRFL’s workforce.

Some have transitioned from collecting recyclables at dumpsites, often working in harsh and unsafe conditions with little protection or recognition, to full-time roles as forklift operators, scrap sorters, yard workers, administrative staff, and technical personnel.

Others have come from professional backgrounds and now hold leadership roles in Human Resources, Finance, Audit, Project Management, Grants, and Communications. Together, they are part of a growing movement that is transforming the recycling sector into one that is inclusive, empowering, and rooted in dignity.

Today, women at WRFL are present at every level, from entry points such as scrap sorting in the yard to operational roles, all the way up to executive-level positions.

“This is not a token achievement; this is justice,” said WRFL CEO and Founder of Pacific Recycling Foundation, Amitesh Deo.

“For far too long, the women who held up our recycling system from the shadows were ignored and excluded. We are changing that. We are saying that these women, whether from the margins or professional pathways, belong here. They deserve to be respected and recognised.”

In a sector where women and members of the LGBTQI+ community have long faced name-calling, ridicule, and silencing – where they have been told they are weak, not good enough, or simply do not belong, WRFL is rewriting the rules.

“Women and LGBTQI+ individuals have been told that waste management is a space for strong men, and that message has been loud and cruel,” said Deo.

“But at WRFL, they are operating machines, managing systems, mentoring others, and helping lead Fiji’s shift toward a more just and inclusive future. This is not just workforce inclusion. This is healing, empowerment, and resistance.”

PRF, the advocacy arm of WRFL, is further amplifying this shift by engaging in advocacy to ensure that inclusion, particularly of women and marginalised communities, becomes non-negotiable in how waste management and sustainability are shaped across the country and the region.

“What we are doing here sends a message far beyond our yards,” Deo added.

“We are breaking the silence around gender and exclusion in this industry. We are saying that the waste management space, once seen only for strong men, is now a place for women, for the marginalised, for those who have been silenced.”

Deo added that the growing presence of women across WRFL and PRF is not happening in isolation.

It stands on the shoulders of decades of advocacy and groundwork laid by organisations such as the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, whose relentless work in advocating women’s rights, safety, and protection has helped create the environment where women can take up space, lead, and thrive – even in sectors previously closed to them.

WRFL is calling on other organisations to rethink who is included in their definitions of progress and sustainability.

He said the transformation underway at WRFL is not just about recycling, it is about restoring dignity, challenging injustice, rewriting narratives, and ensuring no one is left behind.