A/HRC/43/53/Add.1 H. Non-toxic environments in which to live, work, study and play 83. The right to a clean and healthy environment includes non-toxic environments for living, working, studying and playing. The Special Rapporteur focused his study on five issues raised by citizens and civil society, namely pesticides, solid waste management, plastics, marine pollution and mining. Pesticides 84. Pesticide use in Fiji has doubled in recent decades to 775 tons per year, with heavy use in sugar cane growing, and is reportedly damaging soil quality (by increasing the acidity of soil). Pesticides can also contaminate food and water and cause harm to species and ecosystems. In Fiji, the registration of pesticides is governed by the outdated Pesticides Act (1971). A total of 28 highly hazardous pesticides, as identified by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, are registered for use in Fiji, including atrazine, bromadiolone, carbaryl, diazinon, glyphosate, methyl bromide and paraquat. The Special Rapporteur was disturbed to learn that in 2014 more than one quarter of all suicides and attempted suicides in Fiji involved the use of the pesticide paraquat. 85. An encouraging sign is the trend towards organic agriculture in Fiji. For example, the amount of land under organic certification grew by 326 per cent in 2014 alone. That year, there were 627 organic food producers in Fiji. Organic agriculture uses no artificial pesticides and is heathier for workers, consumers and ecosystems. Through the Wakatu Fiji campaign, farmers receive training and assistance to switch to environmentally friendly practices such as organic agriculture, reduced fertilizer use and the elimination of crop residue burning. Solid waste management 86. While travelling in Fiji, the Special Rapporteur was saddened to see some places where the country’s natural beauty was being tarnished by littering, dumping and the burning of garbage. These actions pollute air, water and soil, creating risks to health. People resort to these practices because the waste management services offered by Governments are inadequate and because the rules prohibiting these actions are not enforced. Many communities do not have garbage pickup, there are only two properly built landfills, recycling programmes are limited and the composting of food scraps is uncommon. 87. In the absence of effective solid waste management services, it is estimated that more than half of households in Suva burn household waste. Although this practice is illegal, there is no evidence of enforcement. One reason for the lack of enforcement may be that the fine for burning household waste is fixed at F$ 10,000, about half the average annual income in Fiji. Imposing such a harsh penalty for a widespread practice would be widely perceived as unfair. 88. The Government of Fiji, particularly the Department of Environment, recognizes the waste management challenges and is taking steps to address these problems. The 2018/19 budget includes F$ 3.3 million to improve the Naboro landfill, F$ 260,000 for a nationwide litter awareness programme to clean up Fiji, F$ 100,000 for a reduce, reuse, recycle awareness programme, F$ 1 million to purchase standardized garbage bins for municipal councils throughout Fiji, and F$ 500,000 for a new compost bin pilot project to better manage and make use of organic waste. In addition, the Department of Environment has worked with municipal councils and several other government agencies to appoint hundreds of litter prevention officers, responsible for the implementation and enforcement of rules against littering. There were 1,036 recorded cases of littering in the two largest cities, namely Suva and Lautoka, in 2017, declining to about 750 in 2018, as a result of efforts by litter prevention officers. Improving solid waste management services is a good investment for Fiji because it protects human health and the environment, but also the economically important tourism sector. 89. The reduce, reuse, recycle awareness programme of Fiji has increased the volume of materials being recycled (and presumably less is being burned). The amount of recyclable materials collected increased from 251 tons in 2013 to 396 tons in 2016. It is estimated that 15